Malta's decision-making powers were handed to the EU when the government signed the Lisbon Treaty, according to a new political party that will be contesting the European Parliament elections in all 27 member states this June.

Declan Ganley, the leader of the pan-European party Libertas, accused Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi of not even reading the treaty before signing it, and claimed that Parliament barely discussed it, much less informed the public about it.

The allegation was later dismissed by Dr Gonzi as "completely untrue" and "totally absurd".

Mr Ganley's party believes the EU is killing democracy, since laws and regulations are being created by unelected individuals outside the European Parliament.

The party's representative and MEP candidate hopeful for Malta is Mary Gauci, the former deputy leader of Azzjoni Nazzjonali.

When asked whether Libertas was right-wing, Mr Ganley said it could not be categorised into right or left, and that its candidates came from diverse backgrounds.

"We are very moderate, centrist and pro-democracy," he said.

Libertas had headed the campaign against the Lisbon Treaty, but it still labels itself as a pro-European party.

"If Brussels can ignore the democratic voice of France, the Netherlands and Ireland, how much influence can Malta have?" Mr Ganley argued, in a reference to the referendums that were won by the 'no' camp.

Ms Gauci explained that in her experience as a public officer working with the Finance Ministry, she had witnessed "sad" things which she could not disclose.

She said the scourge of illegal immigration had become a national crisis, and that Malta needed to put its foot down with the EU. However, she stopped short of giving any concrete proposals.

cperegin@timesofmalta.com