Crises are like conflicts, you cannot avoid them but you can manage them. One may choose to go either in the direction of escalation or in the direction of resolution. Each approach carries its own consequences.

The COVID-19 crisis shook all systems to the core.  A crisis which has sent everyone reeling to find a new equilibrium, whether personal or institutional, as well as, at the national and EU levels.

The pandemic has been a catalyst for each person, each country and in particular the EU, to stand up and be counted; there are inevitable decisions that need to be taken for the quality of well-being we want in the coming years.

Many people had hoped for a quick fix that would make the disruption disappear.

Unfortunately, however, there is no going back, but rather there is the possibility of only moving forward. We are on the doorstep of a new way of living, educating, working and even entertaining.

It is all about making the right choices to forge a new future. And while the current crisis poses challenging questions and choices, it may also offer us the opportunity to re-think certain strategies.

It is an opportunity to introduce forward-looking structural measures that offer well-being for all, through an economy that creates wealth for everyone, while also fully respecting the environment that we are mere custodians of. It is the time to shape our mindset to accelerate innovation in new products and services, to go wider and deeper in digitisation and to create the green jobs of the emerging new age.

It needs to be a mindset that is not a mere reaction to a crisis or the craving for a quick fix; but rather, it must be a strategy designed to provide us with a quality of life that is both sustainable and egalitarian. It is a system that reconciles the personal interest and the collective preferences, while framing well-being as a value that is shared by all.

Consistent with this strategy, Malta became a signatory to the EU Green Deal. It pledged to share the responsibility to transform the economy of the EU into a resource-efficient, yet competitive economy, where there are no net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050, where economic growth is decoupled from resource use, while no person and no society is left behind. Unfortunately, despite the progressive agenda, not all EU member states are on board. 

This agenda has come forward at a time when COVID-19 has compelled the EU to do the unthinkable, which is that to relax its very core principles upon which it is founded, in order to mitigate the disruption that the virus caused.

The principle of open borders and free movement of people ceased. After weeks of lockdowns, there is still no common approach regarding the conditions under which the reopening of borders will be considered.

The rules of the Stability and Growth Pact have been temporarily suspended. The much cherished dogmas about budget deficits and debt ratios to GDP faded in significance and deficits of the member states are projected to increase exponentially.

We are committed to ensure our new way of living and working shall be socially and environmentally sustainable for all of us- Michael Falzon

In addition, the principle of the competition and state aid rules is no longer a sacred cow either. 

Member states are now allowed to subsidise sectors of their economy and to introduce short-term work arrangements in order to keep workers in employment, in a way that was previously unthinkable.

This has shown that EU principles are not cast in stone after all, and that when spade comes to shovel, they can be relaxed. This scenario together with the need to adjust to the new norms by taking the Green Deal on board, places the EU at a critical junction in its history. While there are a lot of unknowns about the future of Europe, yet as former EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana stated: “We do know that the future is built upon the words and deeds we choose now”.

A common front has also not yet been arrived at.  There are those advocating a repeat of the strategy adopted for the 2009 financial crisis, by bailing out industries without adding value to the social fabric of society and without environmental consideration.  Others are advocating a more individualistic and nationalistic, sometimes even authoritarian approach, as they assert that only a ‘patriotic’ government can best guarantee the safety and security of their citizens.

Pressure is also being mounted by those who advocate a U- or V-shaped recovery that may produce some quick gains but spell disaster for climate change, while also diverting funding away from the green deal to prolong existing unsustainable practices and industries.

Attempting to go back to defunct solutions whatever they may be that will prolong even further unsustainable economic and environmental practices should be resisted at all costs.

Luckily, Malta is on the progressive side of this critical junction. We are committed that our new way of living and working shall be socially and environmentally sustainable for all of us and for future generations.

Progress has to be for all and this in turn arising from a shared responsibility by all.

Michael Falzon is Minister for the Family and Social Solidarity.