Updated - Parliament went into overtime this evening to ratify a eurozone agreement for the extension of the European Financial Stability Facility agreement and a bill to authorise the government to issue funds to Greece in terms of the EU bailout agreement.
The debate started on Wednesday and continued today, with former Labour Prime Minister Alfred Sant raising questions over the drafting of the resolution to ratify the EFSF agreement and the procedure being followed by Parliament.
At 9 p.m., the normal time for the suspension of business, Finance Minister Tonio Fenech requested leave of House for a time extension. It was important, he said, that the documents were approved today.
Dr Sant asked what the urgency was all about, saying that had there been urgency, the House could have met on Thursday or Friday and it was the government's fault that amendments had been produced just minutes before today's sitting.
He said the House could set up a committee to discuss this issue further, instead of the plenary session.
Mr Fenech said the House was already in committee stage and the government was insisting on approval today because questions were already being asked in the EU and the financial markets about Malta's delays. Malta had to honour its responsibilities, and the need to conclude had already been discussed with the opposition.
Charles Mangion, Opposition spokesman for economic affairs, said he had no objection to a time extension.
Labour MP Joe Sammut said there was no leave of House if Dr Sant objected.
Acting Speaker Censu Galea asked Dr Sant if he objected.
Dr Sant said he did not wish to comment.
The sitting then continued.
Earlier in the sitting, Dr Sant said the shortcomings in the texts were such that were he a member of the CNI (the Campaign for National Independence) he would urge the organisation to contest the legal validity of the Bill to authorise funds to Greece and the ratification resolution.
Dr Sant noted that Parliament last year approved a law for Malta's participation in the EFSF. The law was based on the EFSF agreement reached between the eurozone member states. The law said the agreement had been presented in the House and was part of the law. Yet it had been shown that the agreement was never presented in the House. The legislative process, therefore, was vitiated. Yet the government had now moved a resolution, based on that law, for an extension of the EFSF.
Furthermore, the EFSF agreement had since been amended in view of the extension of the facility, but yet again, the amended agreement was not presented with the resolution meant to ratify it.
The same applied to the bill for the authorisation of the Greece bailout funds, which were also agreed with the EU. Here again, the documents presented to the House and on which the legislation was based, was outdated and the legislative process was, therefore, vitiated.
All this showed government incompetence and contrasted with the situation in other countries, where hearings were held to explain and discuss the changes in the bailout and the EFSF.
Mr Fenech said all the important amendments were presented to the Opposition on Thursday.
Dr Sant said Mr Fenech had still presented amendments which were important for the committee stage. This was not the way of doing this.
Mr Fenech also insisted that, following advice by the Attorney General, he would reiterate that the enactment of the EFSF and bailout laws were perfectly legal.
Dr Sant said the mistakes in the texts needed to be corrected so as not to shame the country.
Mr Fenech said he would continue to insist that the EFSF agreement was tabled in the House last year, however he had now tabled the document again for greater certainty, should anyone take the issue to court.
PROCEDURE
Dr Sant said he was also raising questions on the procedure being followed by Parliament as he felt that there should first be a resolution that ratified agreements reached with the other EU countries, and then a bill to actually implement them.
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said ratification only was needed as this was about changes regulated by laws which already existed.
The Acting Speaker was asked by Dr Sant to give a ruling.
After a suspension of two hours, Mr Galea said two processes were not needed and parliament was ratifying and authorising the government to implement the lending to Greece and the extension of the EFSF.