Leaving the EU 'very damaging'

The Labour Party's senior delegate in the European Parliament and former deputy leader George Vella said that anyone who planned to take the country out of the EU should be open and declare his intentions.

Speaking on the party's radio station, Dr Vella said pulling the country out of the EU would be very damaging for Malta.

Dr Vella said the MLP could not act as if the reality of EU membership did not exist: "Whoever is saying that Malta should re-negotiate its terms with the EU is mistaken. Persons who are drawing comparisons between the EU membership negotiations and the agreement of 1971 are wrong.

"The EU membership negotiations were held between the Maltese government, the 15 EU member states and the other nine acceding countries. Each and every agreement negotiated is tied to the other agreements negotiated between all these countries."