Fenech Adami tells EPP his time is up

The European People's Party paid tribute to the Prime Minister yesterday after Eddie Fenech Adami told a congress in Brussels he was about to step down as Nationalist Party leader.

Dr Fenech Adami however refrained from giving an indication as to when he intended to step down as prime minister.

European dignitaries in the meantime heaped praise on Dr Fenech Adami's track record as the EPP concluded its two-day congress.

It was evident that reports on The Times and the Financial Times let the cat out of the bag and disrupted Dr Fenech Adami's plans to make the formal announcement tomorrow, as he celebrates his 70th birthday.

"Yes, the FT article sparked off a lot of comment among my EPP counterparts and it is now a known fact that I am about to bow out as head of my party. EPP president Wilfred Martens also heard about the matter and I am very satisfied about what he had to say about me," Dr Fenech Adami admitted.

Earlier, Mr Martens told the congress that Dr Fenech Adami's leadership changed Malta's political and sociological landscape and that this had earned him great respect internationally.

In an unscripted address, Dr Fenech Adami told the congress he has been at the helm of the Nationalist Party for the past 27 years, during which time he steered the party to an absolute majority in five of six elections.

"It is now my time to turn to my party and ask them to start the democratic process to elect a new leader. It is therefore the last time I will address such a meeting.

"I do this with a feeling of sadness but I think I've done my job and I can now pass things on to my successor," he said to applause.

Speaking to the media afterwards, Dr Fenech Adami did not, however, shed any light about when he intended to leave Castille. "My position is to take one step at a time and now I am saying that I will ask the party to start the process to choose another leader. Then we'll take it up from there," was his vague reply when asked about the premiership.

Asked whether he would still be Prime Minister on May 1, as Malta celebrates its EU membership, Dr Fenech Adami said: "I cannot say how long the process will take and I cannot say what the circumstances will be. One thing is certain - there is nothing in our laws or the Constitution that stipulates that if there is a new party leader then the previous leader has to resign as prime minister.

"I therefore have no obligation to resign from the post but, obviously, when the time comes, I will assess the situation."

Dr Fenech Adami said there was no doubt that he had always been active as the head of the PN and as a member of the EPP. "They were years where the cooperation between the EPP and the PN was very important, especially when we went through a difficult period," he said.

Reflecting on the fact that yesterday's was the last EPP meeting he would address, Dr Fenech Adami said such gatherings gave his party insight into international and national politics.

"I was present at all the important meetings, even in the context of international politics, especially what happened in 1989-1990 with the fall of communism, and the meetings about the reunification of Germany," he reminisced.

Pier Ferdinando Casini, president of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, described Dr Fenech Adami as "a great politician who will remain in the history books of his country". He said the excellent work by Dr Fenech Adami and his government were amply reflected in the healthy relations that Malta enjoyed with Italy.

Jean Claude Juncker, Prime Minister of Luxembourg, said that despite its small size, Malta had produced a great European leader who enjoys the respect of all European leaders.

Similar views were expressed by Elmar Brok, EPP president on the convention, and former Irish Prime Minister John Bruton.

Hans Gert Poettering, head of the EPP in the European parliament, put Dr Fenech Adami in the league of the "great leaders of Europe".

"He's a great statesman and a great European personality. Thanks to his hard work, Malta is going to join the EU," Mr Poettering told reporters.

Though Dr Fenech Adami will not remain at the helm of the party he would always have "a very strong role" in the history of Malta and the EU.

Mr Poettering is expected to visit Malta in the first week of April.