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18.04.19 9 EDITORIAL BusinessToday is published every Thursday, the newspaper is a MediaToday publication and is distributed to all leading stationers, business and financial institutions and banks. MANAGING EDITOR: SAVIOUR BALZAN COORDINATING EDITOR: PAUL COCKS CONTRIBUTING JOURNALISTS: MASSIMO COSTA | LIAM CARTER BusinessToday, MediaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN9016, Malta Newsroom email: bt@mediatoday.com.mt Advertising: afarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt Telephone: 00356 21 382741 MALTA elects its six members of the Eu- ropean Parliament in fi ve weeks' time as formalities kicked off last Tuesday with the start of the nomination process. e candidates for all four mainstream political parties have been known for a while and it is unlikely there will be any surprises by the time the nominations close next week. Electors will be presented with a crowd- ed list of hopefuls vying for Malta's six seats in a parliament of more than 700. e European Parliament election may lack the lustre of a general election when people are more inclined to go out and vote because it determines who governs the country. Turnout for the three EP elections held so far in Malta has always been the high- est in the EU bar those countries where voting is compulsory. However, with every election the turn- out has dropped. In 2004, the turnout stood at 82.4%, dropping to 78.8% in 2009 and 74.8% in 2014. e situation indicates that the turnout could drop even further come next May. e reasons why people behave diff er- ently in European elections are myriad but it is plausible to suggest that many feel disconnected from the work done by MEPs. e reality is that legislation which MEPs debate and push for at European level can and will have a direct impact on individual countries, businesses and ordi- nary life. e legislation proposing a reduction in CO2 emissions from cars piloted by La- bour MEP Miriam Dalli is one such ex- ample. is legislation directly impacts the car industry and aims to reduce the negative eff ect of the transport sector on climate change. Other EU legislation such as the new data protection rules introduced last year have wide ranging consequences on soci- eties and businesses. Within this context, the EP election does take on a diff erent dimension as highlighted recently by the Malta Busi- ness Bureau when it presented its mani- festo to the Prime Minister. e affi liate of the Chamber of Com- merce emphasised the importance of electing six hard working MEPs. Simon De Cesare, president of MBB, underscored that no political group or Member State delegation can shape EU legislation on its own. is is an impor- tant safeguard of European democracy, he added, but it also means that smaller countries like Malta with a delegation of only six MEPs, had to punch far above its weight. "What matters more is not the size of the country, but the ideas and persuasive work of its elected representatives, based on strong network and alliance building. is makes it even more crucial that we elect our six members from the most hardworking and brightest pool of re- sources," De Cesare said. is leader agrees with the MBB's call to voters and urges them to evaluate the in- dividual qualities of all candidates. From a business perspective, the surge of inward looking Eurosceptic parties may be a disruptive force that could threaten the open economy championed by the EU. With Malta having one of the most open economies in the EU it is vulnerable to external shocks, especially if these come from within the bloc. Another aspect that will defi nitely come to the fore in the next legislative term will be the attempt by some of the big States to push for corporate tax harmonisation. While Malta must remain committed to fi ghting money laundering and the ex- change of information to curb abuse, any move to harmonise taxes must be resist- ed. Tax advantages are an important tool for economies on the periphery of the EU to attract investment. Any attempt to dis- mantle this will be harmful to the Maltese economy. Maltese MEPs in whichever political grouping they sit must oppose this and have to show judiciousness when using the EU platform to hit out at this coun- try's ills. Being strongly critical of bad governance is one thing but allowing that position to be used by others as an excuse to hit out at Malta's tax system is another thing. e MBB is right when it says the up- coming European election is "too impor- tant not to take seriously" and with just six MEPs, Malta needs them all to work extremely hard for the collective good. Choosing wisely

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