VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The European Parliament President Roberta Metsola came out criticizing the Maltese government of not doing enough to protect Maltàs interests at European Union level on issues that disproportionately impact the country.
Roberta Metsola accused the Labour government that has allowed EU rules to be greenlighted without realising the harm they would inflict on Malta.
While speaking at the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Metsola declared, “in some cases the government even fails to present a position on an EU level”.
“EU treaties allow countries to put on an ‘emergency break’ when EU law disproportionately harms a member state, yet Malta is failing to do so,” she said, adding, “in the past five years, we have lost our self-confidence as Malta. We need to be able to say this (a particular policy) is going to harm us and we don’t have to be afraid to say it. We have particular characteristics and particular disadvantages from a logistical perspective.”
Metsola also called on the Maltese government to nominate an EU Commissioner as soon as possible. Former Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne, who was Maltàs European Commission nominee, backed out of the role after he was charged before court over the fraudulent deal of the privatization of three state hospitals. Metsola said countries are already lobbying for portfolios in the commission, and Malta is out of that discussion for the moment. “Make no mistake, if we wait any more time, we will not have an effective enough portfolio,” she said. A country’s commissioner is not only responsible for a portfolio on an EU level but is also the member statès ambassador – alerting their government whenever their state is impacted by an EU law, Metsola said.
Malta will go to the polls on June 8 to elect six euro-parliamentarians.
– Photo Chamber of Commerce of Malta –
(ITALPRESS).
