Is the EU dream doomed?

By mid-2004 the total population of the EU will be over 450 million, stretching from Lapland to Sicily to Malta.

For the pro-Europeans it was a fantastic vision, mainly to build a common future where we will live together peacefully. However, I was surprised to realise how many have changed their minds both locally and abroad. I also recall Dom Mintoff's warnings regarding the threat to our neutrality and to our Constitution. I also remember him telling me we deserve a better deal and a better package than the one Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami got.

Well, time will tell who is right or wrong and who was true to his country. It now seems clear that Europe is plunging into a clash of interests that may prove inconsolable.

Gerhard Schroeder warned lately that the smaller countries must be forced to come into line. Does this mean, after all those amazing promises, that within the EU we shall see our voting powers being diminished drastically?

It is a fact that we Europeans have a lot in common; we all believe in a social contract, in a national health scheme and in state education. Countries like Malta and Poland had the impression that Europe was a "cow" which we could all milk. We are obviously going to feel the pinch.

I was further amazed to read about Poland's Leszek Miller protesting harshly and then also to read about the opinion of pro-European Will Hutton who now is also lamenting the killing of a noble vision by the greed and cynicism of member states. This is very confusing indeed.

Now, using the words of Mr Hutton who says: "We are drowning in a sea of mutual spite and the legalistic legacy of successive treaties", I would further ask again whether Mr Mintoff was right or not when he warned that even written agreements and promises will or might be broken with successive treaties. There is nothing much that we can do now and I just hope for the best for our country. But then Dr Fenech Adami will solve it; I am sure he will find a way.