Parliament: 69 seconds for NATO decision

The electoral campaign has ended. When reading this article, the counting process at Naxxar will have started with the electronic scanning of the votes cast, which feeds the digital counting starting at around 9.00am.

It was an election for 6 seats in the European Parliament, but the electoral campaign, focused mostly on Maltese politics and, sometimes, on the local impact of EU policy and politics.

One of the most contentious issues was that of the defence politics of the EU.  I have already written about the subject in these columns during the campaign. It would be useful to ponder further on some of the relevant points.

It should by now be understandable that, for example Lithuanians, Estonians and Latvians have a different perspective of EU defence policy from the Maltese voters. Their homeland borders Russia and naturally they feel extremely threatened by their neighbour’s behaviour. The same goes for Sweden and Finland, who, faced with the Russian invasion of Ukraine opted to ditch their neutrality and joined NATO.

At the time of writing, 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. 

On the 27 May, a press release issued by the House of Representatives informed us that Malta was unanimously approved as an Associate Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of NATO, the military alliance.  This follows a request made by the Maltese Parliament in October 2023. In fact, a motion to this effect was tabled by Foreign Minister Ian Borg on the 22 September 2023 and was discussed by Parliament on the 3 October 2023. It was approved. The motion was introduced by the Hon Andy Ellul. No one spoke about its contents. Not one syllable was uttered: neither in favour nor against.

The approval of the motion utilised just 1 minute and 9 seconds of Parliament’s time. The motion was just read and approved immediately without vote. I had to check the Parliamentary records including watching the video of the Parliamentary session of the 3 October 2023 to actually confirm all this.

I do not recall Parliamentary reports in the media referring to the matter.

Malta’s approval as an associate member of NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly is intended to facilitate the participation of Maltese MPs when issues of security and defence are on the assembly’s agenda, we were informed in Parliament’s press release.

The motion was wrapped in politically correct language, emphasising Malta’s neutral status. Notwithstanding, when Parliament approved Malta’s application to seek associate membership of NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly it sent the wrong signal. This is also in conflict with all of the Prime Minister’s speeches on defence spending of the EU during the electoral campaign which has just ended. He never informed his supporters that notwithstanding his vociferous speeches he was seeking a space much closer to NATO, which after all is a military alliance.  Dom Mintoff is undoubtedly turning in his grave! He would have expected all this from PN Members of Parliament but not from Labour’s MPs.

Parliament needs much more than 69 seconds to discuss seriously Malta’s defence policy, its security and its role, if any, in the EU’s defence policy.

Maybe it was right, after all, to pelt Robert Abela with eggs at Birgu during the 31 March commemoration. Next time all MPs, without exception, should be targeted. They deserve it.

published on the Malta Independent on Sunday: 9 June 2024

FKNK & the European Year of Citizens

Vilnius has just hosted the concluding conference of the European Year of Citizens.

Entitled “How to make every year a year of citizens” it focused on the promotion of citizenship as a key element of EU democracy.

The Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius addressing this concluding conference stated “Openness to the world, promotion of democratic values – this is what makes the EU model unique and attractive”.

Yet back home in Malta we have the Federation of Hunters and Trappers (FKNK) proposing the curtailment of referendum rights which are being utilised for the first time by civil society in Malta to promote an abrogative referendum to put an end to spring hunting.

It is clear that the promotion of democratic values is an alien value to FKNK. Certainly not a fitting end to the European Year of Citizens.

Ir-riżenja ta’ George Pullicino

Naf li qed noħlom meta ngħid li George Pullicino għandu jirreżenja. Imma naf ukoll li l-politika hi t-twettiq tal-ħolm.

Pullicino għandu jirreżenja għax arroganti u inkompetenti. Dwar l-arroganza tiegħu inkiteb ħafna matul il-perjodu li kien responsabbli għall-MEPA. L-agħar perjodu għal ħafna snin għall-ambjent f’pajjiżna.

Nhar is-7 t’Awissu 2012 il-Kummissjoni Ewropea ippubblikat rapport analitiku dwar kif qed titħaddem fis-27 pajjiż membru l-politika dwar l-immaniġjar tal-iskart. Dan ir-rapport hu intitolat Screening of Waste Management Performance of EU Member States.

F’dan ir-rapport Malta ġiet ikklassifikata fost dawk il-pajjiżi li għandhom deficit fi prattikament l-oqsma kollha tal-implimentazzjoni tal-politika tal-immaniġjar tal-iskart. Ir-rapport hu iktar iebes minn hekk, juża l-kliem implementation gap. Jiġifieri ghad baqa’ ħafna ħafna xi jsir biex il-paroli u l-fatti ma jibqgħux jikkuntrastaw!

Il-Greċja u l-Bulgarija biss ġew ikklassifikati agħar minn pajjiżna. Il-Greċja qegħda f’tarf ta’ kollass ekonomiku u l-Bulgarija mifnija bil-korruzzjoni! Il-Litwanja kklassifikati daqsna!

Dak ċertifikat!

Għal dawn l-aħħar tmien snin ir-responsabbilta’ politika għall-politika dwar l-iskart kienet ta’ George Pullicino.

Kienet responsabbilta li għaddhielu Lawrence Gonzi fl-ewwel Kabinett tiegħu. Responsabbilta’ li ħadha mingħand Ninu Zammit u għaddiha lil Pullicino f’Marzu 2004.

F’dawn it-tmien snin Pullicino iktar kien moħħu fil-konfront politiku bħal dak li infexx fih f’Marsaskala dwar l-Impjant ta’ Sant Antnin milli li jiżviluppa politika dwar l-iskart li taħdem għax hi aċċettata. Bl-arroganza tipika tiegħu rnexxielu jkisser il-possibilita ta’ kunsens mal-komunitajiet u tefa lura ħafna l-iżvilupp ta’ sens komunitarju fil-politika tal-immaniġjar tal-iskart. Ir-riperkussjonijiet għadhom qed jinħassu anke’  illum.

Hu veru li r-rapport tal-Kummissjoni Ewropea janalizza l-qagħda kif kienet sentejn ilu u dan għax jaħdem fuq statistika u rapporti li ilhom ftit ippubblikati. Imma dan ma jgħoddx biss għal pajjiżna. Jgħodd ukoll għal pajjiżi bħall-Awstrija, l-Olanda, id-Danimarka u l-Ġermanja li kienu fuq quddiem nett fil-klassifika u komplew jissaħħew!

Anke’ jekk imxejna ftit il-quddiem, ftit iktar milli jindika r-rapport, xorta għadna lura ħafna. Għal dan jaħti biss George Pullicino.

Ir-rapport juri falliment fil-parti l-kbira mill-kriterji addottati biex jitkejjel il-performance tal-pajjiżi membri tal-Unjoni Ewropea.

Dan hu ċertifikat ta’ falliment li għalih għandu jassumi responsabbilta politika l-Ministru George Pullicino. Jiġifieri għandu jkun raġel u jgħid “fallejt” u jirreżenja. Jagħmel il-wisa’ għal min jista’ jagħti kontribut pożittiv għall-implimentazzjoni tal-politika dwar l-iskart.