Former Prime Minister Alfred Sant said he always favoured the best relationship for Malta with the European Union, keeping in mind that his country had special characteristics as an island state.

He told France 24 in an interview that in the last 10 years the Maltese economy boomed in the financial services, tourism and I-gaming but it would have probably done the same, irrespective of EU policies.

On the other hand, membership had been positive for Malta with regard to environmental protection.

A number of changes in environmental laws were pushed through in line with European Union regulations.

“Now one would argue that we could have done that ourselves but...”

When the interviewer reminded Dr Sant that he was sceptical about the EU but he now was a Europarliamentarian, Dr Sant said he always favoured the best relationship for Malta with the EU.

“I was never against the European Union... we always said that it was a very positive development to have a union of European nations though we said that the best relationship for Malta would be a special relationship which would take into consideration the fact that we are a small island (state).

“We have been in the European Union now for about 10 years... If you ask the majority of local experts and journalists they would tell you that we have done very very well. I am a bit sceptical about that... the growth rates of the last 10 years... have been less than the economic growth rates we used to have before.”

In the 2003 EU referendum, Dr Sant, then Labour leader, had urged the electorate to vote no or abstain from casting their ballot paper.