EU Affairs
Bonde doesn't rule out having a Maltese on the EDD ticket
By Pierre J. Mejlak
Apr 2, 2004, 06:33

Jens-Peter Bonde, MEP and chairman of the euro-critic Group for a Europe of Democracies and Diversities (EDD) said he doesn’t rule out having a Maltese candidate contesting the European Parliamentary Elections on the EDD ticket. In an exclusive interview with MaltaMedia.com, Mr Bonde said one can never rule out anything in politics. “I know there are some very capable political activists in Malta who would be very suitable as MEPs.”

Sources in Brussels told MaltaMedia.com that Sharon Ellul Bonici, an anti-EU activist before the March referendum in Malta and a Malta Labour Party (MLP) candidate for the 2003 general elections, met a number of EDD officials at the European Parliament (EP) building in Brussels a couple of weeks ago.

Ms. Ellul Bonici could be one of the candidates contesting the EP elections on behalf of Bonde’s group. She was willing to contest these elections with the Malta Labour Party (MLP) but the party’s general conference did not approve her candidature.

She was a NO2EU activist, the public relations officer of the Campaign for National Independence (CNI) - Malta’s anti-EU lobby group and was also responsible for publishing a Maltese-version of The EU Observer.

Attempts by MaltaMedia News to contact Ms. Ellul Bonici by e-mail for comments did not prove successful.

Mr Bonde, who has been member of the EP since the first direct elections in 1979, believes Malta’s biggest challenge now that the country is joining the EU is to retain its parliamentary democracy and safeguard its constitution. “The EU is not an economic club but a political union that is building itself into a single European State. The biggest challenge for Malta is to retain parliamentary democracy as you know it and safeguard your Constitution. Malta's legislators are no longer your own elected parliamentarians. They are now civil servants in the Commission and it will be very difficult to reach them democratically. You cannot elect a different EU government as you do in national politics. Some might find this better or worse, but it is always good to know what is really going on.”

Asked to comment about the way the MLP shifted its EU-stand, Mr Bonde said the party had a political decision to make and he believes it acted with democratic spirit. “Once the issue was decided by a referendum, which was again confirmed by an election, the Labour Party decided to accept the people's decision. This of course does not prevent them from being critical over certain issues, such as the centralisation of EU power - this is clearly disadvantageous for Malta as an island state and I'm sure that Labour will seek to address certain issues from within the PES,” Mr Bonde told MaltaMedia.com.

Mr Bonde said he appreciates candidates from any member state and said he strongly believes in inter-group coordination. “My friends in Malta may join any Group in the EU Parliament if elected and we will still remain friends,” he said. “Most often, having such contacts in other Groups helps build this inter-group coordination.” The inter-group SOS Democracy, headed by Mr Bonde himself, is one such example, where MEPs from various Groups meet with the aim of safeguarding democracy and transparency in Europe. “There is more political activism and campaigning in the EU Parliament than anything else, and I know there are some very capable political activists in Malta who would be very suitable in the EP.”

There are still many Maltese people who are not in favour of joining the EU. Now that the MLP has changed its stand and said it would never pull Malta out of the bloc, these people don’t know what they should do next June – when they will be asked to vote to elect five MEPs. Asked to address this category of people, Mr Bonde said those voters who were against membership must understand that the EP is now their parliament too. “Malta has renounced its sovereign status in order to integrate with the Union. These voters have a right to be represented in the EP and my advice is not to lose such an opportunity.”

He said they must realise that the EP works differently from national parliaments. “You cannot change an EU government, but you can influence the political debates in the EP by voting for those who represent your views on the EU issue. There is no other institution in the EU that is directly elected by the peoples of Europe.”

Mr Bonde’s advice to the Maltese people is to scrutinise the draft EU Constitution. “Soon this is going to be your constitution too. The EU Constitution prevails over national constitutions and that is why many MEPs are urging for referendums to be held in every member state.” Many states will be holding a referendum on the EU Constitution and will be asking the people to decide. “Will the Maltese people be asked too whether they prefer the EU Constitution instead of their own?” Mr Bonde asked.

It is not yet known whether Malta would leave the decision up to the people.

© Copyright 2006 - MaltaMedia Online Network

EXIT PRINTER FRIENDLY VIEW FOR THIS ARTICLE