Living by European values

Abstract

There is a general consensus that Malta’s membership of the European Union opened up remarkable opportunities and brought about new challenges for our country. There is a concerted effort towards the laudable goal of transforming Malta, if possible, into the best country in the EU. Some argue that the cultural changes that this country has gone through over these past few years are the natural outcome of our membership of the EU. Once we have thrown open all the doors and windows, we cannot keep out the winds of change. It is then claimed that living by European values means adopting a liberal mindset. This translates into placing a premium on the individual and interpreting the public or common good essentially as a set of conditions that would allow the individual to pursue his/her own life in freedom.