Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/304008
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 30 APRIL 2014 8 News James Debono James Debono Those who were against EU membership just 10 years ago now pride themselves as the architects of a new Malta, which is the best in Europe. Is Euroscepticism dead and buried, JAMES DEBONO asks? 10 years later… We are all European now TEN years ago, the Labour media – of which present Labour leader Joseph Muscat formed an inte- gral part – warned of apocalypti- cal scenarios of Sicilians invading Malta to take our jobs. Ten years down memory lane – much to the delight of our culinary inclina- tions – some Sicilians did in fact come to set up shop in Malta to sell their cannoli. However, Malta can boast of hav- ing one of the lowest unemploy- ment rates in the continent. And while 10 years ago, an un- official billboard was set up on a Labour club warning that EU membership would pave the way for abortion and gay marriages, the Labour Prime Minister now equates European values with the government's liberalising drive which culminated in the intro- duction of civil unions. This time around, it was the Nationalists who revived the spectre of abor- tion as the next step after civil unions. In reality, the introduction of civil unions does represent the spirit of openness found in several EU member states for which some yes voters aspired to. But it ultimately has little to do with EU membership, which is limited to themes covered by binding legal treaties. Moreover, even when it comes to civil liberties, Malta remains one of the few countries not to allow life-saving abortions – a theme not covered by EU treaties, but which isolates us from most of the civilised world. Still, while practically everyone in the political mainstream pro- fesses his or her European cre- dentials, discussion on the future of Europe following its greatest crisis is largely absent in the local debate. For although both parties shun Euroscepticism and the PN gives the impression of being more pro- European simply due to Labour's Eurosceptic past, it unclear where the two main parties position themselves in the debate between sovereignists, EU realists and fed- eralists and to what extent they are willing to share Malta's sover- eignty with others. Milking a cash cow Moreover while the Maltese are eager for a federalist solution on irregular migration –with all par- ties agreeing that burden sharing should be mandatory – and calling for a revision of the Dublin II con- vention, successive governments are keen on protecting niches like Malta's budding financial sector from the incursions of a more fed- eral Europe. In many ways both parties seek an a la carte member- ship. Just as Europe was sold to us by the yes camp as a financial cow to be milked for €100 million, the party which then opposed mem- bership, promises to bring more money Malta's way by selling Mal- tese passports, whose added value comes from membership in Schen- gen and the European Union. Amidst the citizenship contro- versy, Muscat himself sold the IIP scheme as a way of getting more funds than those offered by the EU. Moreover, these would come with no strings attached. Ironically, the same leader who prides himself on professing Eu- ropean values on themes like civil unions, champoined a scheme condemned by the European Par- liament for going against the spirit of European values. Muscat's approach to Europe also remains highly ambivalent. His threat to use pushbacks of migrants to make Europe "wake up and smell the coffee" sug- gested that he is still tempted by acts of national bravado even if he is pragmatic enough to avoid confrontation, ultimately prefer- ring the path of closer collabora- tion with Italy on migration and revising the citizenship scheme by introducing a residency clause in- stead of going on the warpath with the Commission. Though engaging in this kind of balancing act is certainly not risk-free, as evidenced by the ver- bal abuse directed by Labour sup- porters against Commissioner Ce- cilia Malmstrom on her Facebook page. What such incidents show is that Euroscepticism still thrives beneath the veneer of European values, and can still be deployed in moments of political difficulty. The benefits What is certain is that, despite joining the European Union – and subsequently, the Eurozone – at the worst possible moment (i.e., on the eve of a financial crisis), EU membership has largely benefited Recent incidents have shown that an unease with the EU still thrives beneath a veneer of European values The road to the Europe: Nationalist (top) and Labour (bottom) supporters respond to the run up of Malta's accession into the EU back in 2004