During this morning's conference on Malta's EU Presidency 2017 organised by MEP Roberta Metsola, titled 'Malta in the Driving Seat', Leader of the Nationalist Party Simon Busuttil reflected on a myriad of scenarios leading to and resulting from Malta's impending EU Presidency.
He encouraged the importance of having a successful Presidency by a small member state. Experience has shown that some of the best Presidencies have been carried out by small or medium-sized countries within the EU. "These have provided a model to follow, one in which a small member state can leave an imprint. Holding the Presidency is a huge privilege and something to be proud of, and small states especially have an influence which supersedes their actual size. Small states that are seen to survive also seek to integrate".
Simon Busuttil also spoke about the Nationalist Party and its roots to European integration. He stated that although the party took on that name due to its achieving Malta's independence, in the present, the title might take on a different meaning on an European stage. However, he added that our country stands to gain from European Union integration. Challenges are huge and are around every corner.
Whilst condemning the tragic murder of UK Labour MP Jo Cox, Simon Busuttil opened up about Brexit. He stated that this sentiment and its resulting referendum have been in the making for a number of years, with nobody making a case for the European Union in the United Kingdom. "It all started off in 1973 with the media viciously opposing the idea of Europe, and with very few politicians making a case and speaking up".
Simon Busuttil then moved on to the list of priorities that will be overshadowing Malta's Presidency in 2017, including, but not limited to, migration, terrorism, climate change, Syria and Libya. He stated that although a lot has been said already during the conference, the common thread linking them is that no single country, no matter the size, can overcome those priorities singlehandedly, and that is why the EU makes sense. He said that throughout his 9 years in the European Parliament, he spoke widely of migration, however member states were too slow to discuss and implement solutions. "As a result, it took one million Syrian refugees moving towards Germany, the largest European country to start addressing this issue seriously. None of these challenges can be overcome by countries acting on their own".
In conclusion, Simon Busuttil said that he feels very proud that Malta will be holding the Presidency. However, he added that in our country today, we have a government that has allowed the only Minister of an EU country involved in the Panama Scandal to stay in office. Simon Busuttil said that two days ago, Nationalist MPs left the Parliamentary Chambers because they could not entertain a discussion by this Minister. He stated that as a country, Malta's reliability and credibility are at stake and what is unacceptable for him, is also unacceptable for Members of the European Parliament and European institutions.
He appealed to the Prime Minister to not start the Presidency with those two persons on board, because he would not be taken seriously. Simon Busuttil also encouraged social partners and the civil society to stand up for the reputation of our country.
He added that new details are emerging on a new scandal, a corruption scandal, one "which puts us face to face with our credibility with the European Union". He questioned how the government could proceed with this nomination, seeing that the Governor of the Central Bank of Malta would be a representative of the European Central Bank". He added that many people like himself have worked hard for Malta's reputation within the European institutions and would be very disappointed to see it go down the drain. He appealed to the Government to remedy the situation before it's too late.
from The Malta Independent http://ift.tt/24VWaGU
via IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment