AN leader Josie Muscat has warned against Malta becoming a European 'colony'.

He told a press conference that most of the initiatives going on in Malta, from the environment to education, from changes to the law to building regulations were all being done at the behest of the EU. And while most of this was good and acceptable, as nothing would otherwise have been done, it was important to realise that, with the coming into effect of the Treaty of Lisbon, over 80% of Malta laws would emanate from Brussels and Strasbourg.

The Maltese, Dr Muscat said, must start learning how the EU worked, for the real Parliament would soon not be the national one but the one in Europe. And hence it made sense to send to Europe not mere representatives of parties, but people motivated by a sense of duty and patriotism who would not hesitate to take on the other 700 if needs be.

He said that while Azzjoni Nazzjonali was criticised that, by not belonging to any group in the EU Parliament, it would be too weak to do much, one had to wonder where the EPP-ED group - the biggest in the EP - was in the problems Malta was facing due to illegal immigration. Where was the second largest group in the EU Parliament, the Socialist? How many of these had stood up to show not only solidarity with Malta but to propose alternatives to the prevailing situation?

The truth was, he said, that Azzjoni Nazzjonali had been proved right. It was labelled fascist for suggesting that boat people, once helped, should be sent on their way. Would the government call Italy fascist for doing the same thing? Was the USA fascist for adopting this strategy? The government had relied on its European groupings and had been let down. That is why Azzjoni Nazzjonali chose to be unfettered with any membership in the European Parliament except alliances that would work for Malta only.

Dr Muscat insisted, however, that AN was not a single issue party.

It was his party, he said, which had warned of the impending deficit, that the two main parties would be unable to keep their tax promises, that Enemalta was on the verge of bankruptcy, that the culture of handing out increasing social benefits at each election was unsustainable and that education meant more than the building of school premises and the handing out of laptops to teachers.