Editorial : on the brink

Abstract

This editorial discusses the most momentous decision that the Maltese nation has had to make since its inception. The time to reflect on what are those forces that mould our worldviews and, perhaps just as urgently, to assess whether the decisions that we take reflect our civic responsibility or merely our personal greed which puts our personal well-being above everything else. At the highest level of governance, the conundrum seems to be a choice between, on the one hand a clear-cut, wellargued, hard-fought agreement between Malta and the EU, an agreement, moreover, which gives Malta certain privileges, but which entails a considerable amount of sacrifice to ensure that we reach the levels expected of us in our bid to achieve the same standards as the average in Europe, while, on the other hand, we are presented with an alternative which advances the idea of a 'partnership', a concept which appears less well crystallised, and where negotiations with these so-called partners have not even started, let alone concluded satisfactorily. There has been clear warnings from Europe that a partnership with Europe will certainly not result in the same degree of participation nor confer the same benefits as full membership would give us.