Maltese parliament marks 66th Europe Day

MPs from both sides of the House dedicated their parliamentary adjournments to celebrate “Europe Day” – the anniversary of a declaration by Robert Schuman, a French politician, who, in 1950, proposed pooling French and German coal and steel resources to avoid future conflicts.

Opposition MP Ryan Callus urged the prime minister to sack minister Konrad Mizzi and OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri before Malta takes up the EU Council presidency in 2017.

“Malta’s upcoming presidency of the EU Council is a unique chance for Malta to influence the European agenda, but the Panama scandal is a stain,” he said in his parliamentary adjournment.

Callus hailed PN leader Simon Busuttil, former prime ministers Eddie Fenech Adami and Lawrence Gonzi and former president Guido De Marco as “visionaries” who had strived for Malta’s EU accession.

“Malta is the smallest EU member state but we have often managed to punch above our weight,” he said.

“We weren’t scared to voice our disapproval on certain issues, and indeed were persistent and sometimes successful in advocating our stances,” he said, citing the sixth European Parliament and the €1.12 billion in EU funds between 2014 and 2020 that previous PN governments had negotiated. 

He said he hoped the Labour Party recognized it was wrong to have campaigned against EU membership.

Callus also wished Ira Losco luck in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest, describing the song festival as an event that unites us as Maltese and Europeans.

Parliamentary secretary for EU funds Ian Borg denied the Opposition’s claims at Malta lost EU funds on the Coast Road, Safi Aviation and Cittadella projects. “Malta didn’t lose a single cent on the projects, and although we have explained this several times, it appears as though the Opposition don’t understand how EU funds work.”

He said that funds from the Cittadella project were relocated to the restoration of the Grandmasters’ Palace, while funds from the Coast Road project were relocated to the purchase of laptops for teachers, LSAs and kindergarten assistants.

He spoke of new projects in the pipeline – including the Kappara flyover, the renovation of the old Valletta slaughterhouse, and the renovation of Auberge d’Italie into an art museum.