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This year will go down in history as the year when the country finally joined the European Union, a natural step after gaining its Independence in 1964, becoming a Republic in 1974 and peacefully getting rid of the last foreign military presence in 1979. It is still early to assess the impact of Malta joining the club of European countries, the most important political and economic bloc in the world. Yet a mere six weeks after the official accession on May 1st the first elections for Maltese European Parliamentarians produced a surprising result, giving the Nationalist Party, who got the majority of Maltese behinds its accession bid, a significant defeat at the polls. The year 2004 is also a year of welcomes because it saw a change in leadership in the country. Long-time Prime Minister and Leader of the Nationalist Party (PN) Dr. Eddie Fenech Adami stepped-down in March. His place at the helm of the country and the PN was taken by Dr. Lawrence Gonzi, the long-time choice of Dr. Fenech Adami himself. In turn Dr. Fenech Adami appointed himself as President of Malta, to the dismay of many on both political camps who saw him fit for retirement. Many thought the Maltese Catholic faithful would welcome their new archbishop during the year, but Mons. Guzeppi Mercieca is still in charge despite tendering his resignation upon reaching retirement age late in 2003. Towards of the year the political and economic scene was dominated by the Malta Government’s Budget for 2005. It was a time of intense debate over measures the Government says are intended to put the country back on a good financial footing. At least on one occasion most Maltese citizens united under one banner, led by Julie and Ludwig who represented Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest. Despite an excellent performance, the lucky stars once again favoured somebody else. Speaking of welcomes, MaltaMedia sticks to its traditional wave of
good-bye to Maltese personalities who died during the year.
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