Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1206972
You served under Dom Mintoff, Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, Al- fred Sant and Joseph Muscat, which makes you the long- est-serving veteran of the La- bour Party. What advice would you give to Prime Minister Rob- ert Abela following the crisis which led to Joseph Muscat's resignation? I went into politics at a very early stage in life. I was elected to parliament in 1976, and at the age of 26 became the young- est MP. From then onwards, I continued to serve and contrib- ute to the Maltese democratic process for almost four decades. Learning is a lifelong process. Whether in Government or in Opposition, I watched and learned from other politicians. Like most successful people, Prime Minister Abela under- stands that there are lessons to be learnt from recent and not-so-recent past blunders and slip-ups, and that he has to avoid repeating similar mis- takes. Abela is not new to Maltese politics and institutions. He is surrounded by an experienced team who, I am sure, will give him the best advice. He set and explained his objectives very clearly, and he is determined and energetic enough to be able to achieve them. He fully un- derstands that difficult times demand difficult decisions, and in this respect he has already shown that he means business. Abela has shown that he al- ready masters the most impor- tant leadership skills. He has the vision, courage, integrity, humility and the strategic in- tention to balance economic success with social benefits and environmental protection. I am certain that he will continue to build and nourish these values and characteristics. He is prepared to listen and heed good advice coming when- ever and from whoever. I am certain that he is a person who assesses and evaluates the mes- sage more than the messenger. And he believes in a collabora- tive approach when taking im- portant decisions. As all his predecessors, he will be judged on his actions, not merely on his words. He realises the importance of action over words and that his decisions must be decisive, efficient and effective. The best way forward is to have a complete change- over from "remedial action" to "preventive measures". I think Abela fully understands that being voted into govern- ment does not give him 'power', but 'responsibility'. Responsi- bility towards our citizens and country. As a past member of the Eu- ropean Commission, how do you view criticism on the rule of law in Malta and the current dialogue between the commis- sion and Malta on rule of law issues? It is essential that all EU Mem- ber States uphold the rule of law. The EU institutions, within their respective roles, ascertain that this applies equally to all Member States. Promoting and upholding the rule of law is a central impera- tive of the European Commis- sion's work as guardian of the Treaties. The Institution's role in this regard is to address more structural and systematic issues in particular in the area of judi- ciary and the fight against cor- ruption and money laundering across the European Union. The European Commission's aim is not to blame and shame, or to criticise Member States, but to help them strengthen their rule of law, through solu- tions based on cooperation and mutual support, and this is ex- actly what is being done in Mal- ta and elsewhere. The Maltese government has already started working on the issue. The adoption of the "State Advocate Act" as well as the appointment of the first State Advocate are proof of the government's commitment in this regard. Through this Act, the State Advocate, as the Chief Legal Advisor to the Govern- ment, acts in the public interest and safeguards the legality of actions of the State. Without doubt, the European Commission will continue to support the Maltese govern- ment to continue implementing the necessary reforms. Some feel that the focus on Malta's rule of law issues is unfair: for example, because the European Commission took less interest in similar issues involving other member states. Do you think this criticism is valid? Does the Commission treat smaller states differently to larger more powerful coun- tries? Equality is a fundamental prin- ciple of the European Union, not only equality amongst citi- zens but also amongst Member States, irrespective of their size. It is true that some Member States are bigger and richer than others, but being bigger and richer does not exempt any Member State from any action deemed necessary by the Com- mission. During my time as Commissioner, I remember tak- ing action on air quality issues against nine Member States, amongst them the biggest and the richest. Former EU Environment Commissioner KARMENU VELLA draws on his 40 years of political experience to offer a word of advice to the new Prime Minister: learn from the mistakes of others Learning is a lifelong experience Raphael Vassallo rvassallo@mediatoday.com.mt 8 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 2 FEBRUARY 2020 INTERVIEW Abela has already committed much deserved attention on the subject under the wider umbrella of good governance and I trust he will be delivering on this promise