The first Maltese baby to be born a European citizen joined celebrations at the European Parliament marking 20 years since the 2004 expansion of the union. 

Ylenia Duncan was born just a few minutes after midnight on May 1, 2004, while the rest of Malta was out celebrating officially becoming a member state of the European Union. 

In a special ceremony on Wednesday, the European Parliament commemorated the occasion in which Malta - as well as Cyrpus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia - joined the EU in what to date has been the largest expansion of the union in its history. 

During the ceremony, Duncan asked former prime minister Lawrence Gonzi how he felt watching Malta achieve EU membership during his stewardship of the country. 

Ylenia Duncan and her mother Marion shortly after her birth on the day Malta joined the EU. Screenshot: Xarabank

‘EU membership a success story for Malta’ - Gonzi 

Despite the hardships and controversy surrounding the 2003 referendum that saw the Maltese decide whether they wanted EU membership and the subsequent general election, Gonzi said that EU membership has been a “success story” for Malta. 

“It was an extraordinary moment because you could see the hope and enthusiasm in people to see the dream that they had worked for coming true,” he said. 

The proof of Malta’s successful history within the EU is very much in the pudding, Gonzi continued, with the country advancing in great strides. 

“Malta has moved ahead economically, there are Maltese students with us here in parliament who can see that the president of the European parliament comes from the smallest member state in the union,” he said. 

“Our country’s history with the EU is a history full of hope. I hope the EU continues to remain relevant for us as well as for you young people so that we can continue to ensure peace and stability.”

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola. Photo: European Parliament Multimedia Centre

‘Europe cannot look away from Ukraine expansion’ - Metsola

European Parliament president Roberta Metsola, who also addressed the event, meanwhile said that in the spirit of fostering further unity in the union, member states could not turn their face away from further expansion, particularly that of Ukraine.

Addressing parliament in Maltese, she recalled Malta’s ascension to the EU and the sense of hope and optimism it instilled among the citizens of all ten countries who joined the Union in the 2004 expansion. 

This, she said, fostered a greater sense of unity among the member states. 

“I remember thinking about the generations of Europeans for whom the EU was only a dream had suddenly become a reality. Against all odds, we managed to bury the ghosts of the past and pave the way for a new era of freedom, peace and prosperity across the continent,” she said. 

“We had a divided continent but now it is a united one. We were finally untied.” 

Now, people in Ukraine and the western Balkans are looking towards Europe hoping for the same hope and relief, she continued. 

“Like the 2004 enlargement, we cannot be the ones to look away,” she said. 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Photo: European Parliament Multimedia Centre

‘For Europe to win, Ukraine must win’ - von der Leyen 

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen also stressed the importance of the EU continuing to support Ukraine as it fights off invading Russian forces on home soil. 

Whatever happens in Ukraine will inevitably affect Europe and shape the future of the union for years to come, she said. 

“We cannot overlook and overstate that Russia poses an existential threat not only to Ukraine but also to Europe. A Putin win would not only change the map and mask the identity of the Ukranian nation but change the course of European history,” von der Leyen said. 

“Ukraine is carrying this heavy burden on its shoulders and paying a heavy price for its efforts. There is only one way to face up to this, in the only language that Putin understands and that means providing Ukraine with the means to defend itself.”