Welcome Professore

The Malta Independent

Welcome Professore

Professore Prodi we bid you warm welcome. You know us `da vicino` and surely you will not be taken aback by our petty squabbles and parochial mentality.

As an economist and a business manager with an envious track record you can tell that our country is in an economic mess. You probably know that the current administration which extols with nauseating` repetition the virtues of joining the EU as members at the earliest opportunity, is responsible for this grave state affairs. They have been in government all the last 154 months` bar 22.

They inherited a debt free economy and are now presiding over a deficit and debt situation similar to the one which Italy was in when it signed the Maastricht agreement in 1991. With the vision of people like yourself Italy worked an economic miracle to straighten its act after so many political compromises. Our pro-EU administration just did the opposite!

So when our Prime Minister tells you in glorious rhetoric that the country is looking forward to joining Europe as soon as you are ready to take us on, make a mental note that to staighten 13 years of public spending largesse in just two years will break the social fabric of this small country and will turn people against the EU for the wrong reasons.

The Opposition is not anti-EU. It is simply more pragmatic about it. As a small island state we need to know what our rights and obligations as members will be and this will only be known after conclusion of the ICG just started.` You expect to conclude this within 10 months but frankly I think you are a bit over-optimistic. Parochialism is not unknown in Brussels when it comes to re-align the rights and obligations of existing EU member countries.

If as you are recommending most decisions will be taken by double majority rule of members and` populations, then you cannot blame us for concluding that this will wipe away our` sovereignty to a very large degree.

You may argue that other countries do not feel the same way even though they are small. Well firstly they are not as small as Malta and secondly they have not enjoyed sovereignty and economic advancement the way we have enjoyed it since` the 1964 independence.` They see EU membership as protection of their newly acquired new sovereignty from` former oppressors who are still experimenting with democracy.

Professore,` I think you should tell our leaders that it would be wise firstly to sort out our economic mess and secondly to build some consensus about our future relations with the EU even if this has to take more than some` years beyond their personal agendas.

But with your regatta system for membership you will be there for us if we ever decide as one nation that membership is for us. You will be there for us even to achieve a Swiss model economic integration whilst preserving our sovereignty by keeping out of the political chapters.

Thank you Professore and if you ever get bored with the EU bureaucracy which will obstruct your modern systems to bring fresh air and transparency, then we will definitely need you to advise us on how to sort out our economic problems.