The President of the European Parliament told Maltese journalists covering the EU summit at Goeteborg, Sweden, that she augurs that Malta will have the chance to be among the new member states to take part in the June 2004 elections for the European Parliament. Fontaine will be visiting Malta in October.

The EU summit at Goeteborg opened amid more violent protests similar to those held last December during the Nice Summit. The Goeteborg summit focused on enlargement, environment and employment. Before the first session, the European Parliament’s President, Nicole Fontaine, addressed the 15 EU leaders.

During a press conference, Fontaine told PBS that from the EU summit, EU leaders should issue a strong political signal that the process of enlargement will not slow down after the referendum result of Ireland. And that the EU leaders will keep the promise they made at the Nice summit last December, that new member states will be let in the EU in time for them for take part in the EP elections.

In her speech before the EU leaders at the start of the summit, Fontaine said: "I salute the fact that all three of our institutions immediately reassured the candidate countries that the No vote in Ireland would in no way change or slow down the negotiations currently underway. The EU had to get that message across as a matter of urgency, and it needs to be reinforced here in Goeteborg. We expect the European Council to send out strong signals and commit itself to ensuring that everything is done to enable the first new members to take part in the next round of European elections in June 2004."

Asked about the lack of democracy in having a referendum held only in one member state, Fontaine replied that the EU couldn’t impose on member states how to ratify the Treaty of Nice. She said each country had its own constitution, and in any case parliaments do represent the will of the people. She added that the EU does not want to send a message that it is a la carte with member states opting in and out as they wish from common positions that had been agreed upon.

Avv JK Farrugia