Ma hemmx biex nieħdu pjaċir

Ma hemm xejn li bih nistgħu nieħu pjaċir meta dawk fit-tmexxija jiġu mixlija b’korruzzjoni, frodi u ħasil ta’ flus. Dan għal diversi raġunijiet.

L-ewwel nett, minħabba li dawn in-nuqqasijiet, jekk seħħu, jfisser li dawk l-istituzzjonijiet imwaqqfa biex jipproteġuna ma ħadmux. Dan hu inkwetanti ħafna. Din mhiex xi ħaġa li ma nafux. Mhiex xi ħaġa ġdida. Ma ġratx illum. Ilha tiġri is-snin. Hemm responsabbiltà politika x’tinġarr għal dan il-fatt. Responsabbiltà li hi mifruxa tul is-snin u fuq diversi persuni li kellhom is-setgħa u għażlu li jħallu t-toqob minn fejn jgħaddu l-ġrieden.

It-tieni punt ta’ importanza hu li mhux billi hemm persuni li ser jiġu mixlija. Mhux bilfors li jinstabu ħatja. Jista’ jkun li l-provi ma jkunux ċari, inkellha li joħorġu fatti li sal-lum mhumiex magħrufa u li jispiċċaw idgħajfu l-provi.

It-tielet punt hu li jista’ jkun hemm żbalji tekniċi fil-mod kif jiżviluppaw il-proċeduri kriminali. Kemm żbalji ġenwini inkella żbalji intenzjonati!

Li t-tmexxija tal-pajjiż, tal-bieraħ u tal-lum, tkun mixlija bi ħmieġ ma jfissirx li huma ħatja, għalissa. Irridu nistennew biex inkunu nafu eżattament x’ġara.

Fl-aħħarnett dak li qed jiġri jħammeġ lill-pajjiż kollu, mhux biss lil dawk li qed jiġu akkużati. Għalhekk, ma hemmx biex nieħdu pjaċir.

From business-friendly to people-friendly

Public land is being continuously taken over for tables and chairs as an outdoor extension of restaurants and cafeterias. It is a land grab and has been going on for years. This land grab has intensified after the outbreak of COVID-19, primarily in response to the then restrictions on the permissible indoor numbers of customers allowed within catering establishments.

The most obvious examples of this land grab are in places like Sliema, Marsaskala, St Paul’s Bay, and Valletta. This land grab, however, is taking place all over the island, in practically all localities.

There are instances, such as in the case of squares, pedestrianized streets, and other large open spaces, where the placing of chairs and tables does not bother anyone. In these instances, complaints are rare, except when excessive noise is generated, particularly in the silent hours. In these cases, the use of public spaces for the placing of tables and chairs can be justified, provided that the space taken up for such use is reasonable and respects the rights of both the public as well as the residential communities.

The ever-increasing complaints are in respect of those instances where pavements are practically completely taken over by the placing of tables and chairs such that pedestrians, obstructed from using the pavement end up having to share the road with moving traffic, at considerable risk to themselves. It gets worse in the case of wheelchair users and their carers, as well as in the case of parents with children, particularly those still in prams.

In residential areas, that is in those instances where there are a number of residential units above ground-floor commercial establishments, the placing of tables and chairs on the pavement also restricts residents’ access to their homes. There is the added issue, encountered in many cases, of difficulty in accessing residential units when making deliveries of large objects, such as furniture and white goods. The land grab makes access in these instances practically impossible.  Access would be even worse in case of emergencies. I have not heard a whimper from the civil protection authorities on the matter.

As emphasised in the ADPD 2022 Electoral Manifesto, we want our pavements back. The use of pavements should revert to their intended use. Pedestrians should always have priority. It is about time that public authorities shift their emphasis from being business-friendly to people-friendly.  The needs of residents and pedestrians should take precedence over the interests of business! The pavement is, after all, not meant for tables and chairs but to facilitate the mobility of people such that they are safe from traffic.

This would entail that planning applications for placing tables and chairs in open areas are vetted properly, such vetting being based on the real impacts on both the residential community and pedestrians. It would also mean that continuous monitoring is carried out to ensure that the permit limitations are observed.

Just a little bit of effort in enforcement would make quite a significant difference. Unfortunately, enforcement is practically nonexistent. This lack of enforcement is the driving force that motivates those abusing the system to ride roughshod over the rights of residents and pedestrians. They know that most probably their abuse will be ignored as it has been for ages. This has always been interpreted that the state does not care at all.

During the local elections next month, this issue is a matter of considerable importance to residents. It is a campaign issue that is continuously brought up in discussions with voters.

The Marsascala ADPD candidate Brian Decelis has been campaigning on the matter for some time. This week he was confronted by one of the operators who is obstructing pavements at Marsaskala. He was even threatened. A police report has been submitted on the incident and it is hoped that swift action will be taken by the police authorities.

This mess should be addressed, all over the islands, the soonest.

Local Councils should be at the front line in ensuring that the authorities act such that permits issued for the placing of tables and chairs outside commercial establishments are people-friendly and that abusive operators are brought to order the soonest.  Electing local councilors sensitive to the matter would make a substantial difference.

published in The Malta Independent on Sunday: 5 May 2024

Dawk it-78 boxfile

Robert Abela qiegħed jipprova jkeskes lin-nies kontra l-Qrati. Spiċċa issa dak li kien jgħid biex “inħallu lill-istituzzjonijiet jaħdmu.”

L-inkjesti dejjem idumu. Dawk ta’ importanza u serjetà kbira jdumu iktar. Li kien ikun ħażin kien kieku l-inkjesta tagħmel żmien wieqfa. Sakemm iż-żmien intuża biex tinġabar l-informazzjoni neċessarja biex tkun ippreservata ix-xhieda dwar dak kollu li ġara in konnessjoni mat-trasferiment tat-tlett sptarijiet lil Vitals, ikun hemm spjegazzzjoni raġjonevoli għad-dewmien.

L-ispjegazzjoni ikun possibli li nkunu nafuha meta dak li ikkonkludiet l-inkjesta jkun magħruf. S’issa, kif jiġri dejjem, xejn għadu mhu magħruf. Tal-inqas jiena u (probabbilment) inti li qed taqra ma nafu xejn!

Inutli nispekulaw, għax fiċ-ċirkustanzi l-ispekulazzjoni ħażin tagħmel. Ħażin lil kulħadd, peró l-ikbar ħsara issir lill-pajjiż. Dan Robert Abela jafu: imma minkejja dan jibqa’ jkeskes.

Ma tistax tkun kredibbli meta b’nifs wieħed tappella biex ħadd ma jirreaġixxi għall-provokazzjoni, imma immedjatament wara issaħħan l-irjus.

Robert Abela għamel tajjeb li talab biex l-Avukat Ġenerali (l-AG) tippubblika r-rapport tal-inkjesta. Kull miżura li tista’ tnaqqas l-ispekukazzjoni hi miżura tajba. Id-deċiżjoni, imma, tiddependi mill-AG biss, li nifhem li tiddeċiedi skond kif inhu l-aħjar biex issir ġustizzja, imma, anke b’mod li ma tippreġudikax l-istess ġustizzja.

Għalhekk xejn ma neħodha bi kbira jekk ir-riżultat tal-inkjesta jdum ma jkun ippubblikat.

Bħalissa, avukati fl-uffiċċju tal-AG ikunu qed jeżaminaw il-konklużjonijiet li waslet għalihom il-Maġistrat Gabriella Vella fir-rapport tal-inkjesta, u dan flimkien max-xhieda u l-provi li ġabret u li qegħdin merfugħha f’dawk it-78 boxfile.

Jekk l-inkjesta, biex ġiet konkluża, ħadet 4 snin u nofs, ħadd m’għandu jistenna li l-AG u l-Pulizija jieħdu deċiżjonijiet ta’ malajr.

L-unika ħaġa li nafu s’issa hu li l-AG talbet lill-Qorti biex ikunu iffrizati l-assi ta’ numru ta’ persuni u kumpaniji: hemm 84 (erbgħa u tmenin) isem. Il-Qorti ippreseduta mill-Imħallef Edwina Grima laqgħet it-talba. Dan ifisser li l-AG pass pass bdiet taġixxi.

Il-bieraħ waqt konferenza stampa l-ex Prim Ministru Joseph Muscat qalilna li hu dejjem mexa tajjeb. Jaf, qal, x’għamel u x’ magħmilx! Ovvjament jiena ma nafx x’għamel u x’magħmilx Joseph Muscat. Biex il-maġistrat saret taf x’għamel hu u x’għamlu l-oħrajn li ser jissemmew damet 4 snin u nofs tfittex u issaqsi.

Kulħadd jieħu pjaċir kieku t-tmexxija tal-pajjiż hi nadifa tazza. Biex ikun ivverifikat jekk dan hux minnu hemm il-Pulizija u l-Qrati. Għalhekk l-inkjesta, għalhekk it-78 boxfile.

Imma naħseb li lkoll saqajna mal-art u nafu li mhux kollox hu sewwa. Hemm min donnu diġa nesa’li diġa’ hemm sentenza tal-Qorti, ikkonfermata fl-appell, li fil-kaz tal-isptarijiet hemm ħafna x’ixxomm.

Min hu responsabbli għal dak li ġara? Joseph jgħid li mhux hu. It-83 l-oħra huma siekta s’issa.

Issa naraw jekk hux il-ħajbu.

Regulating the building industry

Regulating the building industry requires the political will to act in an industry that has repeatedly opposed and defied regulation. Last week’s fatal accident at St Ignatius Junction Sliema is the latest incident in an industry in which regulation is still opposed. The political will to regulate is lacking, notwithstanding all the government theatrics, day in day out.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) has submitted his resignation on Tuesday. This will lead to the appointment of a third CEO in as many years. This is a resignation that has been submitted out of frustration, even though the resignation letter has not been published.

This resignation followed the comments of Robert Abela, Prime Minister, who on Sunday, a few hours after the incident acknowledged that the authorities regulating the building industry do not have sufficient resources to carry out their responsibilities and regulate the industry. However, he failed to state or acknowledge that those whom his government appointed to lead the BCA have time and again requested these resources. The government has, so far, repeatedly ignored these requests.

When giving evidence at the Jean Paul Sofia public inquiry, the former CEO of the BCA, Karl Azzopardi, stated that he had repeatedly requested funds for a staff complement of 300 to regulate the industry through inspections and enforcement. The recruitment process was slow and the funds allocated rarely matched what he considered necessary.

From Azzopardi’s evidence at the public inquiry, it results that there were only 11 inspectors at the BCA against a projected requirement of between 40 and 50. In addition to recruitment, he explained that there was also the requirement to train those selected meticulously, as otherwise, they would not be in any way effective.

Karl Azzopardi was squeezed out of his CEO post by the incoming Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi, who preferred his own man, Jesmond Muscat, who, however, resigned earlier this week. The BCA, in the meantime, is still without adequate resources as the Prime Minister’s words have so far not been matched with the allocation of the required resources.

The lack of resources allocated to the BCA is a major contributor leading to the frequent construction incidents which are becoming a too frequent occurrence. Without funds for the BCA to hire and train staff to carry out its regulatory duties, we may have more incidents in the weeks and months to come. There is a political responsibility to be shouldered for this lack of funding of the BCA. Prime Minister Robert Abela tried to transmit the subtle message that Minister Zrinzo Azzopardi was shouldering this by removing the building industry portfolio from his Ministerial responsibilities in the last Cabinet reshuffle.

This is however not enough.

The BCA is once more without a CEO, who is quite obviously fed up with being treated as a political football by those appointing him. His letter of resignation was not published, but its timing gives a clear message which cannot be ignored.

As results from the Sofia inquiry report,  the BCA inspectorate was made up of eleven persons! An identical number of persons make up the BCA Board of Directors!  Those are the government’s BCA priorities at this point.

When the government starts adequately funding the BCA, then maybe we can have an inspectorate that acts proactively to identify the abusers in the industry before they lead to more deaths.

published in The Malta Independent on Sunday: 28 April 2024

Il-maħfra Presidenzjali: min qed jistaħba wara l-vulnerabbli?

Il-Kamra tal-Kummerċ tagħmel l-argument li l-maħfra Presidenzjali approvata mill-Kabinett fl-aħħar jiem issaħħaħ il-kultura tal-impunità fil-pajjiż. Il-Kamra tal-Kummerċ għandha biċċa raġun.

Għalkemm il-maħfra hi kwalità nobbli, din il-maħfra Presidenzjali għandha riħa tinten ta’ kalkulu u opportuniżmu politiku.

Minn dak li qalu kelliema għall-Gvern, dawk li ibbenefikaw minn dan l-abbuż tas-servizz soċjali (prinċipalment pensjoni għall-epilettiċi) huma vittmi f’din l-istorja: huma persuni vulnerabbli, għaddejjin minn tbatija kbira. Ma nafx kemm dan jgħodd għal kulħadd, imma mill-istejjer li smajna ċertament li hemm persuni li batew u li għadhom qed ibatu u li għal dawn il-pensjoni abbużiva kienet salvauomo li setgħet ittaffi ftit mit-tbatija tagħhom.

Is-suppost maħfra, issa qed tpoġġi lill-vulnerabbli fuq quddiem biex warajhom jistaħbew dawk li sabu opportunità oħra biex imaxtru u jibbenefikaw minn miljuni ta’ euro.

Il-mistoqsija li s’issa għad ma ġietx imwieġba hi dwar x’kienet qed tagħmel it-tmexxija tal-Ministeru għall-Politika Soċjali. Is-Segretarju Permanenti fil-Ministeru u l-Ministru innifsu, quddiem dan kollu, baqgħu ċassi. Qed jgħidu li ma kienu jafu b’xejn, ma ndunaw b’xejn.

Ifisser dan li qegħdin hemm għalxejn? Li l-istrutturi ta’ kontroll fil-Ministeru ma’ ħadmux? Jew li kien hemm kompliċità tant mifruxa li irnexxielha tostor kollox għal ħin twil?

Fid-dawl tal-allegazzjonijiet li persuna tal-fiduċja politika fl-istess Ministeru kien qed jidderieġi dan l-eżerċiżżju ta’ ħmieġ li bih sar abbuż sfaċċjat tal-vulnerabbli, kemm il-Ministru kif ukoll is-Segretarju Permanenti fil-Ministeru għall-Politika Soċjali għandhom jerfgħu r-resposnabbiltà għal dak li ġara u jirreżenjaw bla iktar dewmien.

Wara kollox, ma ndunaw b’xejn, ma kienu jafu b’xejn! Xi ħtieġa hemm li jibqgħu mas-saqajn? Bihom u mingħajrhom xorta! Ikunu aħjar li jwarbu it-tnejn!

Il-frodi tal-benefiċċji soċjali: qiesu ma ġara xejn!

L-informazzjoni li nafu hi limitata. Kull min tkellem qalilna l-biċċa li taqbillu. Jew biex ifarfar inkella biex jitfa’ dell fuq ħaddieħor.

Il-Ministru Falzon jgħidilna li hu ma kellux x’jaqsam. Ħaddieħor, akkużat, qalilna li kien hemm xiħaddieħor fil-Ministeru li kien qed jidderiegi kaz wara l-ieħor.

L-istorja għadna ma nafuhiex kollha. Nafu biss biċċiet. Hemm min hu komdu hekk.

Ħaġa waħda hi ċara: anke jekk wieħed jaċċetta (għalissa) li l-Ministru Falzon mhux involut, huwa jibqa’ politikament responsabbli għal dak kollu li ġara. Imma qiesu ma ġara xejn!

Tourism: the industry does not care

Notwithstanding the increasing numbers of incoming tourists, the tourism industry is currently in a self-destructive mode.  After the carrying capacity study published by the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) in July 2022, one would have expected the Ministry of Tourism or the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) to take the lead in initiating a public debate on the matter.

The Deloitte report published by the MHRA, in July 2022, entitled Carrying Capacity Study for Tourism in the Maltese Islands has pointed out that the total of existing and planned hotel accommodation would require approximately 5 million tourists per annum to ensure an 80 percent occupancy. This does not take into consideration non-hotel accommodation. If non-hotel accommodation is also taken into account, the problem would be much worse.

This is anything but sustainable. Yet, except for the public discussion on the skills required by foreign workers in the industry, no one is (apparently) bothered by the considerable negative impacts of tourism: impacts on both tourism itself as well as on the residential community. No wonder that studies have identified a developing tourismophobia. Tourismophobia has been described by Catalan anthropologist Manoel Delgado as a mixture of repudiation, mistrust, and contempt for tourists.

The total number of inbound tourists to Malta in 2023 was around 3 million. This accounted for 20.2 million bed nights and an estimated expenditure of €2.7 billion. The employment that this generates is considered by many as a positive contribution to the industry, and sustaining around 50,000 jobs.

The Deloitte report published by MHRA in 2022, however, explains that in 2009, 82 percent of those employed in the tourism sector were Maltese. By 2019 this statistic had decreased to 40.6 percent. The Deloitte report does not explain the reasons behind this trend. It only emphasises that this trend is not unique to the Maltese islands.

However, the Deloitte report goes on to argue that the reliance of the tourism industry on an ever-increasing cosmopolitan labour force is an important contributor to an increasing lack of authenticity of the touristic product.  Who cares?

The ever-increasing volume of incoming tourists has an impact on both the tourist experience as well as on the quality of life of the residential community.

Many years ago a substantial portion of the residential community of Paceville was squeezed out of the locality as a direct result of the impacts of the tourist industry. It seems that no lessons were learned from this experience as various residential communities around the islands are still continuously at the receiving end. No one cares.

Tables and chairs have taken over substantial public areas around our residences, in many instances obstructing access to our homes. Consider, for example, The Strand from Gżira to Sliema: from Manoel Island right to The Ferries, and beyond. Has anyone ever considered the impact of the continuous stretch of chairs and tables on the residential community along the same stretch of road?

This experience is not limited to Sliema but also exists in Marsaskala, St Paul’s Bay, St Julians, and many other areas, including Valletta. Who cares?

The tourism industry is aware of all this. Yet the issues raised are not being addressed. The situation gets worse by the minute.

The residential communities in various localities are voicing their concerns. One of the latest to so do was the Valletta residential community.

The local council elections next June are an opportunity to elect local councilors who are sensitized to the concerns of the residents. We need Local Councils that can take up the fight directly at an institutional level as it is only in this manner that the real issues faced by our communities can be addressed.

We have a tourism industry that only cares about what goes into its bank account: nothing else is of significance. We can compensate for this by having local councils that not only care about our communities but most importantly act swiftly to right the accumulated wrongs.

published in The Malta Independent on Sunday: 21 April 2024

Presidential theatrics and arm-twisting

(photo: presenting to President George Vella proposals for the consideration of the Constitutional Convention : 5 November 2019)

The role of the President in the governance of this Republic, on paper, is just an issue of formality. In practice, however, it can be much more than that.

Undoubtedly Myriam Spiteri Debono will be a different President from her predecessors. Spiteri Debono has a distinct advantage over all of her predecessors: she has no political baggage because she has not held any executive political office to date. Only Sir Anthony Mamo, the first President, had the same advantage!

In her inaugural speech as President, Myriam Spiteri Debono made many an important political point. Fundamentally she emphasized that she will not seek to influence the political debate (a difficult pledge which, however, she did not strictly follow herself). Although she did not name him, this was a clear dig at her predecessor, who, in addition to lobbying the executive intensively in favour of his contrasting political views, unashamedly interfered in the public debate on proposals relative to the IVF legislative changes as well as on Bill 28 which sought to clarify the abortion provisions of the Criminal Code.

His Excellency George Vella would have been taken to task in any self-respecting Parliament. A motion for his removal, because of his behavior, would have been submitted for Parliament’s consideration.  Almost two years ago, given the President’s behaviour in office, I had written in these columns that there are “valid reasons to consider the impeachment of Dr. George Vella from his Presidential duties.” (TMIS: The Presidential rubberstamp: 31 July 2022)

Any person who allows his personal views to conflict with his or her Constitutional duties is, in my view, not fit for office.

Parliament, unfortunately, was not irked by George Vella’s arm-twisting of the executive. It was not bothered, as it thanked Vella for his services! Not one of the Members of Parliament stood up to remind one and all that when the holder of the office of the President interferes in the political debate, he/she is performing a grave disservice to the Republic.

One only hopes that there is no repetition of this interference in parliament’s work.

Parliament needs to reinforce the office of the President. In particular, for example, the Constitution needs some clarity as to how the President can defend the Constitution when he/she does not have the appropriate legal tools available. 

Let me clarify: It is essential to consider in some depth the role of the President of the Republic. Specifically, we should consider whether the President should continue to be just a rubberstamp or whether he or she should have limited review powers over Parliament’s legislative function.

ADPD- The Green Party, in submissions to the still pending Constitutional Convention, focused on this specific matter, among other issues. In the document submitted to the Convention, my party proposed that the President should be able to send legislation back to Parliament for its reconsideration, if, in his/her view such legislation runs counter to the provisions of the Constitution.

The President, on assuming office, declares that he/she will do all it takes to defend the Constitution. He/she is not however equipped with any (constitutional) tools with which to carry out this responsibility.

The Green proposal presented more than four years ago for the consideration of the Constitutional Convention identifies an essential tool with which His Excellency the President can act responsibly within the parameters of the law. We further proposed that should Parliament refuse to budge, the President should refer the matter to the Constitutional Court for a final decision. 

This is how the Presidency should function. Much better than when it was subject to the George Vella theatrics, lobbying, and arm-twisting of the executive.

published in Malta Independent on Sunday : 14 April 2024

The courage to change

Good governance is central to the proper nurturing of this 50-year-old Republic. Good governance is founded on transparency and accountability. Secrecy and the withholding of information from the public domain, in contrast, generate bad governance.

Transparency is a basic characteristic of good governance whereas secrecy is the distinguishing mark of bad governance. This inevitably leads to the shielding of unethical behaviour, as well as the propagation of a culture of greed and corruption.

Transparency and accountability are inseparable twins. Accountability is, in fact, non-existent or severely diluted in the absence of transparency.

Good governance is much more than a concept. It is the essential foundation for any democratic Republic.  In the absence of good governance, greed flourishes, and national institutions are slowly transformed into personal fiefdoms. Corruption and rampant clientelism are the inevitable results of a lack of good governance.

In her inaugural speech on Thursday, President of the Republic Myriam Spiteri Debono spoke of the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia. Daphne’s assassination was described by Her Excellency as a wound that, as a nation, we must heal the soonest.

Daphne Caruana Galizia was actively involved in journalism, investigating corruption. Notwithstanding the continuous vitriol she faced, Daphne identified many a scandal associated with the governance model championed by the Labour Party in government.

This, in reality, is the wound to be healed. We need to finalise that begun by Daphne by ensuring, as a nation, that the corrupt face the music the soonest. Then the festering wounds of corruption, made worse as a result of a culture of impunity, will start the healing process. The rule of law must prevail without any exception.

The assassination of Daphne is also a heavy blow against good governance.  The public inquiry into the circumstances that led to Daphne’s assassination concluded with identifying the Maltese state as being ultimately responsible for all that happened.

A culture of greed has been reinforced with a culture of impunity.

The change necessary to heal this wound requires considerable courage and goodwill. I am not at present convinced that the political leadership currently in government is acting in good faith. It is a leadership under siege, continuously defending those who have driven this country to the dogs.

Land use planning and our environment are regulated by greed. Agricultural land is slowly disappearing as a result of the planning policies of the PN in government way back in 2006 through the so-called rationalisation exercise. The Labour Party opposed these plans when in Opposition but it is currently in the process of milking them dry to ensure that the greedy are fully satisfied.  Some have already licked their lips! Others are awaiting their turn.

It takes courage to act against greed, when both Parliamentary parties are fully committed to entrenching it as a way of life. They ensure the quality of life of the greedy, but in the process are ruining that of all the rest of us: both the present as well as the future generations.

The current set-up of our Parliament is part of the problem. It is no wonder, that, in this scenario, we are lumped with an electoral system that ensures that the voice of change is silenced by making it as difficult as possible for it to be heard.

Change is hindered as the national institutions are rigged against those who dare to speak up for the representation of a variety of minority views in the country.

As a result of this lack of political goodwill, ADPD-The Green Party is currently in Court contesting the discriminatory nature of this rigged electoral system. It is a constitutional court case that is hopefully approaching its conclusion.

At ADPD-The Green Party, we have long been speaking about the urgent need for electoral reform, focused on the need to ensure that every vote is valued. Until such time, no change can ensure that everybody is on board. One person, one vote, one value.

It takes courage (and political goodwill) to change.

published in The Malta Independent on Sunday: 7 April 2024

Pelting with eggs

The debate on defense policy requires to be dealt with much more seriously than through pelting Prime Minister Robert Abela with eggs, as happened last Tuesday during a political activity at Vittoriosa.     

Whether we like it or not, 23 out of the 27 EU member states are members of NATO. Malta, Ireland, Austria and Cyprus are the exceptions. (Cyprus had its NATO membership application vetoed by Turkey.) It is a politically difficult situation which requires a tightrope walking skill. It is never going to be easy with the European defense industry leaders breathing down the neck of the EU leadership.

The defense industry, including that within the European Union itself, is undoubtedly lobbying intensively on a continuous basis. An EU defense budget running into several billion euros would definitely be in their interest! In 2023 the EU’s military spending reached a record €230 billion.

It is inevitable that in view of the Russian aggression in Ukraine the defense debate intensifies during the current EU Parliament electoral campaign.

One of the points raised by the outgoing President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen is on whether it is appropriate to have an EU Commissioner entrusted exclusively with defense policy in the next Commission later this year. The European People’s Party (EPP) wants to substitute the top EU diplomatic job with a defense Commissioner post.

Defense, in all its aspects, is a matter reserved for the individual European Member states in terms of the EU treaties. I would have expected government spokespersons to be clear on this point. Unfortunately, they have been completely silent, at least on a public level. This is not on. It is not acceptable. The sooner it is rectified the better.

This is not a matter which can be relegated to the diplomatic level. It has to be taken up forcefully: positions taken must be clear publicly.  The warmongering on a European level must be brought to order the soonest.

On a local level, the debate on defense policy is completely absent, except for the partisan bickering from time to time. This has intensified in the past weeks.

Unfortunately, we have already had proposals by the Bavarian Christan Democrat leader of EPP, Manfred Weber, that the EU should invest in nuclear deterrence.  Last January, Politico reported that this Bavarian political outburst was delivered in the context of the perceived consequences of Donald Trump’s threats on the weakening of NATO, if he is re-elected to the Presidency of the United States of America later this year. Irrespective of the motivation it should be clear even at this stage that such proposals are unacceptable. A neutral Malta should have made her voice heard ages ago! Yet silence prevails.

Notwithstanding all the bickering on the EU Council’s final statement last week, this matter has been ignored. The Prime Minister then felt the need to seek the advice of the State Advocate in order to ensure that Malta’s neutral status is respected in the commitments made in the final statement. Yet we are not yet aware as to whether the proposal to create a standalone defense portfolio in the next Commission has yet been sent to the State Advocate for his advice.

The silence of the Opposition PN on the matter is also deafening, considering that the defense proposals on EU defense Commissioner as well as the proposal on an EU nuclear deterrence are being made by the European People’s Party of which it forms part.

Pelting with eggs is no substitute for the national political debate on defense matters. It is in our interest to wake up and smell the coffee.

published in The Malta Independent on Sunday: 31 March 2024