The overwhelming majority of Maltese people would like to be able to elect the president of the European Commission, a new survey has shown.

According to the study, conducted last June among a sample of 500 people, more than 70 per cent feel that the direct election of the president would encourage them to vote as it is seen as a “further enhancement of democratic legitimacy of the EU”.

In the 10 years since Malta joined, the EU’s popularity among the Maltese has moved from a divisive issue, due to Labour’s strong campaign against accession, to an accepted reality enjoying cross-party and popular support.

According to the latest survey results, 77 per cent believe that EU membership “is a good thing” for Malta and that the island has benefited a lot from membership. Only 14 per cent still think joining was “a bad thing”.

Asked whether when compared with 10 years ago, they now feel more European, 66 per cent said that they did. But 26 per cent said they did not feel any affiliation to the EU.

For the first time in the EU’s history, the next European Commission president will be elected directly by MEPs.

So far, the president, a post occupied by former Portuguese prime minister Josè Manuel Barros, has been elected by the European Council composed of the heads of State and of government of the 28 member states. The Parliament only approved the nomination.

Following recent changes in the EU treaty, after the next MEP elections, Parliament will elect the president from a list of candidates to be nominated by political groups.

This means that the new president will most probably reflect the popular vote given to political groups in next May’s election.

In Malta, the election of six MEPs is scheduled to take place on May 24.

The European Parliament Office in Malta is expected to officially launch its campaign next week. The two main political parties have already selected their first candidates and are expected to finalise their list of contenders in the coming weeks.

Malta had the highest voter turnout in the EU in 2009 with 78.8 per cent of eligible voters casting their vote.