Malta`s Rightful Place

The Times of Malta



This paper`s editorial of October 7th, 2002 had hard words for Labour`s EU stand.` I quote `The emptiness of` Labour`s alternative is so profound, so meaningless, next to what membership of the EU is all about that it should not be all that difficult for the government to make people understand (and to) generate confidence and excitement in a project that should see Malta take its rightful place in the new Europe.`

I mean to challenge the assertion that Malta`s rightful place in the new Europe can only be taken through EU membership. I also challenge the gratuitous assertion that Labour`s alternative is profoundly and meaninglessly empty.

`I assume that the rightful place can be measured by achieving prosperity, security and employment not much inferior to EU averages.` Now that the argument about EU membership coming wrapped in generous funding has fallen away, the supporters of membership must necessarily push the argument of inevitability to justify their case.

If EU membership is an automatic claim for a rightful place in Europe why have the backward regions of Europe, mostly in the southern part of the EU Mediterranean countries, failed to find their rightful place` I assume that the rightful place can be measured by achieving prosperity, security and employment not much inferior to EU averages.` Many of these regions are far from such average measures in spite of benefiting from generous funding which will not be available to Malta.

My thesis is that it is more likely to achieve EU average standards, and hence our rightful place in Europe, through a partnership agreement, rather than true membership.` The case is built on logic. To achieve prosperity a small country like Malta, needs to secure three properties:` Differentiation, Flexibility and Leverage.

Differentiation means we can only compete effectively by being different. If we are just like the rest our economies of scale disadvantages would throw us out of the game. Flexibility will enable us to move quickly to grasp as they arise, opportunities thrown up by our policy of differentiation.` Leverage will ensure that we put into the equation of our negotiations our geo-strategic location and gently demand compensation for using these facilities to generate peace in the region rather than place them at the disposal of those that would be willing to pay us handsomely to use them for defence values. `Malta`s membership is good for the EU. The loss of our ability to leverage the geo-strategic location is their gain`

Reflection would easily lead to the conclusion that differentiation, flexibility and leverage as above described are the exact anti-thesis of EU membership that is built on principle of uniform application of common rules and policies.`

A partnership arrangement would on the other permit maximum use of differentiation, flexibility and leverage as the uniformity of application rule would not apply. The EU should be much more accommodating in meeting our needs within a partnership model than they can ever be within membership. The problem of precedent is an obstacle to negotiate concessions in the membership model which will not arise in similar strong terms in the special relationship model.

`It is time to focus on our rightful place in the world by seeking a fresh electoral mandate as soon as the final budget offer is known` `There remain two points which I can presume pro-membership readers would be quizzing me about at this stage. Why do I take it for granted that a partnership model is possible when so many visiting EU dignitaries make it a point to stress that we really have no alternative to membership` Secondly why should I be optimistic that Malta will find the internal discipline to negotiate a good special relationship package and impose on ourselves the desired level of discipline which membership would force upon us by compulsion`

Malta`s membership is good for the EU. The loss of our ability to leverage the geo-strategic location is their gain.` So the urgency for us to join is more from their side. It`s up to us not to let ourselves be rushed into an irreversible position without exploring all alternatives.` The argument that we will miss generous funding if we do not join in 2004 is now dead and buried. Like heaven, the EU can wait until it decides what shape it will emerge from the Convention and the following ICG.

Regarding our ability to negotiate a better deal outside membership I believe it` because with an electoral mandate to seek such a relationship, the EU will not be able to force membership upon us and would be more than willing to make a reasonable deal with Malta as we are too important to be disregarded. Obviously nobody will tell us so explicitly but unless we know our strengths and weaknesses we can never negotiate intelligently.

It is time to focus on our rightful place in the world by seeking a fresh electoral mandate as soon as the final budget offer is known to ensure we do not waste more time on a road which evidently, given the discontent with the economy and the negotiations, looks like leading to nowhere.