European Greens target Malta's sixth seat

The European Greens are seeking to elect an MEP from Malta as a "top priority" in the next round of European Parliament elections due to be held in June 2009.

Although those elections may be far from the minds of Maltese politicians at the moment, the European Greens in Brussels have already started their campaigning.

Ulrike Lunacek, the Austrian spokesman of the European Green Party (EGP), said Malta is "a top priority" for the EP elections.

"We want to elect a Maltese Green MEP and we have made this one of our main campaign targets for 2009. Last time (in 2004) we had almost made it. This time we need to make it and it should be easier now that Malta has a sixth seat."

Following tough negotiations, first on the defunct EU Constitution and then on its new version, the Lisbon Treaty, Malta managed to convince its EU partners to give it one more MEP, raising its number to six.

If, as planned, the ratification of the new treaty is concluded by the end of this year, Malta will need to elect another MEP in 2009.

"During the last round of MEP elections, Malta's Green party managed to become our fifth largest party in Europe in terms of votes and it's a pity that Arnold Cassola was not elected," Ms Lunacek said.

"We are now going to do everything possible so that we reach our goal."

But what can the European Green Party do to help Malta?

"We have already started talking to Alternattiva Demokratika (AD) about the kind of support we can give the party to organise themselves better and make sure that their message is driven home. The only thing that we can't give AD is financial help. But our European campaign machinery will be all at their disposal."

The EGP spokesman said that during the coming campaign the Greens in Malta will rely on a common political platform focusing on issues that unite Greens all over the EU, such as climate change, the future of Europe and social policies.

"We will try to speak with one voice on all of these topics."

Despite polling almost 23,000 first-count votes in 2004 - 9.3 per cent of the total - Prof. Cassola was pipped at the post. The former secretary general of the European Green Party has since moved to new pastures, becoming an Italian member of the Camera dei Deputati. He has now lost his seat in Rome following the resignation of Romano Prodi's government and a fresh call for elections.

When asked about the European elections AD chairman Harry Vassallo said: "We have not made a decision if Prof. Cassola will be our candidate or whether he will be our only candidate."

He described Prof. Cassola as a major asset to the party who would definitely be considered.

The EGP currently has 33 affiliate European Green parties from all over Europe including non-EU member states such as Georgia.