Till last year, Robert Micallef was
an unknown on the Maltese political scene but was very much
aware of what was happening. His job as an economist with
the European Commission and his work for the EU delegation
in Malta gave him a privileged position to witness all the
developments in the country’s negotiations to join
the EU. So why has he decided to venture into the political
arena? Robert Micallef spoke to Charlot Zahra about the
reasons that led him to contest the European Parliament
elections for the Labour Party.
You had no visible political involvement
in Malta until you contested the general election last year
on the Labour ticket. Now you are contesting the European
Parliament elections. What made you take the decision to
involve yourself in politics in Malta now?
The years I spent working for the European
Commission and my professional engagement with the EU delegation
for Malta, I could not have any visibility whatsoever as
it was a technical post. I did a lot of work in the background
and I could not actually engage in public debates. This
is a positive change for me. Being a candidate for these
elections is an opportunity to be in the public arena and
to contribute to Malta’s development at an important
and difficult period in our history. With political representation
in the European Parliament, Malta has an opportunity to
re-invigorate its political system and to develop more mature
methods of practicing politics. What will matter most in
the European institutional system is not the political colour
but our ability to work for Malta’s national interest
and in favour of economic growth and job creation in Malta.
My main political activity over the
past few years has been mostly in a European context. The
European Youth Forum in Brussels, which is a partner of
the European Commission and Council of Europe, was an excellent
training ground. In the early 1990s I was also elected president
of the National Youth Council and that, to a certain extent,
gave me a good feel for policy making in a Maltese context.
But it’s true, I entered formal
politics in Malta last year when I stood as a last-minute
candidate for the MLP. Several people asked me why I felt
I should do so after leaving the European Commission. What
I wanted to do was to give my contribution, at a difficult
moment in Malta, towards achieving a form of consensus in
foreign policy in Malta. I think that was a crucial and
delicate moment for Malta. Following the outcome of the
referendum, what might have happened in case of a victory
for the MLP, I wanted to help negotiate a better deal for
Malta, taking into account certain important aspects overlooked
by the Maltese government while also working towards having
one voice in Malta’s foreign policy. I felt I could
be more effective giving my contribution in public life
through political activity rather than doing technical work
in the background. Besides, having followed Maltese politics
over the years I decided I should help introduce new energy
and innovation to Malta’s political system at a time
when people were losing confidence in the politicians who
represent them.
How do you think you can bridge the
gap with some of the Labour candidates for the European
Parliament elections who are more well-known among party
supporters?
First of all, I would like to say that
I am very privileged to be part of a very competent team
of candidates being presented by the Labour Party. We all
have different qualities, different experiences and I hope
that we will give a positive contribution to a public debate
about the future of Malta in the context of these elections
for the European Parliament. It is important for Malta to
be represented effectively in the European Parliament by
people who, apart from understanding the intricacies of
European institutions, know the Maltese reality very well
and who can therefore expose the issues which are important
for Malta in the wider context of Europe. Of course, being
a new face, I start at a disadvantage because you need to
have a public profile, you need to be known by people and
you need to earn the trust of people. I am confident there
is enough time for all of us to participate extensively
in this debate and that we will all give a contribution
which corresponds to our experience.
How do you feel contesting the EP elections
for a party that until last year was opposed to EU membership?
How do you explain this change to grassroot Labour supporters
who never dreamt of joining the EU as well as to the moderates
who voted for the PN because of the EU ticket?
This is a very important question which
gives me the opportunity to speak about the most important
challenges that Malta will be facing in the future. I think
that in politics there is an obligation to look at the past
in order to understand the present reality with a view to
planning for the future. I think there are two very important
challenges that our nation will be facing in the future,
particularly in the context of membership.
First the economy. We need to be able
to work towards economic growth and to withstand the competitive
pressure of the single market and, in doing so, being able
to absorb the rules and regulations of the acquis in the
short and medium term. I think the success of Malta’s
membership in the EU will be measured against the performance
of the economy and our ability to create jobs. The openings
and opportunities for Malta created by EU membership will
only bear fruit if Malta manages to devise a truly national
strategy for economic growth and job creation with clear
objectives. I believe that an MLP government would be better
equipped to handle such an important task.
Secondly, a very important challenge
for Malta within the context of membership is the security
of Malta and our ability to have an innovative voice in
international relations, to be able to play a part,
a constructive part, in finding common ground with other
Member States in order to have a more effective external
policy for the EU. But we need to safeguard those instruments
which can help us give such a contribution and I think neutrality
for us will have a more significant meaning in this context
in the future. Together with the four other neutral countries
in the EU, Malta should take the lead in the frame of the
constitutional development of Europe in a way that can help
the rest of the world to achieve peace, stability and development.
Here again, an MLP government can better navigate international
waters with a view to having a voice in international politics
greater than our physical size as well as being an international
hub for various developments.
You were employed as an economist with
the European Commission’s delegation to Malta. How
do you think this experience will help you deal with EU
institutions if you are elected?
Yes, I believe that my professional
background, which allowed me to go into the detail of every
single chapter of the EU-Malta accession negotiations, will
allow me to understand first how the reality of membership
will impact on the various sectors of Maltese society, particularly
the economic sectors which need to adjust to the rules,
regulations and directives of the acquis. My former colleagues
at the Commission are also of the opinion that a difficult
challenge for Malta is the ability to withstand the weight
of the single market. This is a very important for Maltese
MEPs because the European Union acquis is a moving target
– there are new regulations, there are daily developments
in the single market and other policy areas and we need
to be prepared to anticipate these developments and manage
the impact on the Maltese economy. A member of the European
Parliament must ensure that the Maltese people have a respected
voice in Brussels and must fight for every slice of support
which can be achieved from the European Union. I hope to
be able to use my contacts and my network in the institutions
in order to help represent Malta in the best possible way
and to report back to the people of Malta on the activities
in Brussels so that people will be fully informed about
all developments.
Do you think that the role of Maltese
MEPs should be to defend Malta’s interests in the
EU? If yes, how do think this should be done? Would you
be willing to cooperate with the other Maltese MEPs from
the PN or possibly AD in order to protect national interests?
I think having representation
in the European Parliament is firstly an opportunity for
us to expose important local issues in a wider theatre,
and secondly an opportunity to contribute to the development
of a Europe which is under construction. I agree that making
a success out of EU membership requires a national effort
and I expect that very active collaboration between the
political parties represented in the Maltese group of parliamentarians
at the European Parliament will be the order of the day.
I think it is very crucial that at every moment where members
of the European Parliament are required to defend the interests
of Malta and to safeguard jobs, it is imperative for the
elected MEPs to act above the partisan reality and to go
a step beyond bi-partisan conflict which is normally a characteristic
of our political reality. Here I would like to appeal to
the Nationalist Party to respond to these challenges positively
and in the national interest. I am afraid that the tone
used by the Nationalist party today vis-à-vis the
Labour Party is still very similar to the pre-election mode,
trying to score points about which political party is most
pro-European. The public is tired of this divisive and outdated
talk. This should not be the language used at this crucial
stage of Malta’s history. The political language we
need today should correspond to our national effort to look
forward and work towards a successful membership, to develop
our economy and to contribute actively to the development
of European integration while ensuring Malta’s security.
