"Independence, the closure of the military base, the declaration of the republic, these and all the social and economic development that the country has had since then, have fashioned a new Malta. As we step into the European Union today, the country looks forward with confidence so that, with God's help, it charts a new course, one that will, hopefully, bring about greater prosperity to all."

That was how The Times had concluded its leading article - entitled Malta In Europe - A New Dawn - on May 1, 2004 when the island, together with nine other countries, had joined the European Union. It was the largest expansion since the signing of the Treaty of Rome in 1957 when six countries got together to form what is now known as the European Union.

The EU has had its ups and downs and continues to do so. So does Malta as a member of the European Union. It has always been stressed that joining the EU was not an end in itself but a means to an end.

Malta's accession five years ago was the result of a long and arduous process that, for so many years, unnecessarily saw the people being divided on a matter which, really, they should have not been so far apart. Indeed, that became evident when, in March 2003, the people voted in a referendum for EU membership. Even then, the Labour Party, or, rather, elements within, notably former leader Alfred Sant, continued to resist, promoting their "partnership" option. Regrettably, they continued to refuse to budge from their position also when the electorate confirmed its pro-EU choice a few weeks later in a general election. As time went by and the benefits of EU accession started becoming tangible and the many and varied fears quelled, Dr Sant's Labour Party remained stubbornly bitter, even if publicly it changed its official policy saying that it was accepting the people's wishes and making the best out of EU membership. Alas, it was evidently a policy born more out of convenience rather than conviction.

But that is history now - though Labour has yet to prove that it has truly changed its stand on the EU - and, five years later, Malta is well engulfed in EU business, sitting around the same table with 26 other member states, reaping benefits and, yes, facing problems that others also have and those peculiar to a minuscule island state.

Along these five years, Malta has had to strive in order to come to terms with the new responsibilities that befell it as an EU member state. At times it had no option but to go against the grain and fight the odds. After its initial success of winning lost time in accession negotiations following the decision by Dr Sant's government to freeze the application, the Nationalist Administration managed to meet the Maastricht criteria in order for the country to join the eurozone and adopt the euro as its currency. This was not only thanks to the input of politicians but also to the civil service and, indeed, society in general.

Judging by the achievements and performance over the past five years, Malta can truly look at the future with head held high, fully aware that, warts and all, EU membership has proved to be a beneficial and rewarding experience. At this point in time, there can be very little, if any, doubt that Malta's future lies with that of the European Union.