Welcoming the Commission at the beginning of Malta’s Presidency of the Council

This paper, together with the entire country, welcomes the European Commission and its President in the visit that marks the beginning of Malta’s Presidency of the Council.

It is a cold welcome indeed, but that is purely meteorological. Malta is proud to be in the EU and is chuffed to be the President of the European Council for six months. Never in its proud history has Malta had such an exalted role.

Give or take the odd outburst of rain (or even hail) an entire programme has been laid down for the Commission’s meetings ending with a song and a dance in the evening at the Mediterranean Conference Centre. The Commission’s day is ending at the MCC not only because it is huge and conveniently near, but also because of its origin as the hospital of the Hospitaller Order which in its day was innovative, and ensured quality healthcare to all with no qualifications as to financial ability.

The day should also serve to stimulate reflection on what the EU is about, its present state and how it will be able to face the future challenges. There can be no doubt that the EU is now in a very weak state. The Brexit result in the UK was not the only flash of lighting in the sky. On the contrary, years ahead, the electorates of France and the Netherlands rejected the proposed moves inside the Union.

Surveys of public opinion, some carried by EU institutions themselves, have consistently shown a worrying level of trust in the EU leaders and institutions.

Ever since the post-2008 crisis, the situation has gone south. Faced with a huge crisis, the EU institutions imposed a regime of austerity across the EU which hit very hard the weakest countries, which led to millions of people being unemployed, other millions losing their pensions, and an entire generation of young people to lose entire years of what should have been their happiest years.

Furthermore, in order to save banks from collapsing, many member states preferred to plough national funds to save the banks even at the cost of eating into the national reserves. It is true that there was no active methods to redress such situations and it is only now that the banking rules have been changed so that banks are pushed to become financially more secure and in case of a crisis do not impinge on the national coffer. Europe has stopped growing: In many cases it has grown smaller. It had the potential to become a great world power: Instead, it is now cracking up, not just with one important country, the UK, leaving, but also with others facing the same threat. People are now openly speculating about the end of the EU. It is a ghoulish wake at the bedside of an infirm and very sickly patient.

There are of course other things in the EU that are not doing well – the way to treat the millions of migrant immigrants, the threat of terrorism, the xenophobia in so many countries, the potential of a single market that has not been realised, the failure of innovations such as the Schengen system to really offer security.

The EU is not working, or at least it is not working as it should. This is what this small nation dares tell the mighty Commission today: Forget the celebrations, become humble and work harder to save the European dream.