MEP candidates participating in a Chamber of Commerce debate all pledged to prioritise Malta’s national interest if elected to the European Parliament. 

Labour's Steve Ellul, the PN’s Peter Agius, and Sandra Guaci of ADPD took part in the Chamber of Commerce’s final European Parliament elections debate on Tuesday. 

“For Malta to be seen as credible in Europe all of Malta’s six MEPs need to work together for the national interest,” Ellul told a crowd comprised mainly of industry representatives.  

“Peter Agius writing to the European Commission to attack our country for cheap political points is not the way to do that,” Ellul said.  

Agius, an MEP candidate for the Nationalist Party, wrote to the European Commission a few days ago about the Vitals hospitals deal saga.  

In his letter to the European Commission, Agius said the Maltese government did not cooperate with the judiciary during the Vitals inquiry.  

“In cases of corruption, fraud, and bribery involving politicians, government authorities refused to grant the magistrate access to internal documents,” Agius wrote.  

The PN MEP candidate called for Europe to take action.  

Referring to the letter during the debate, Agius said: “I brought the issue to attention because the judiciary needs to be supported.  I did it because I love Malta,” he said.  

Agius also said that Malta is not using EU funding well enough. Malta, for example, has only used 20 per cent of its allocated budget in an EU programme to fund research and innovation - Horizon Europe.  

Agius said Maltese MEPs should be in the EP’s most important committees to safeguard Malta’s interests. And Malta's representatives have not done a good job on this front. 

He cited as an example, the government and MEPs voting in favour of an environmental shipping tax, the Emissions Trading System, despite it severely harming Malta’s freeport. 

Asked about his priorities if elected, Ellul said he would work for the interests of small businesses.  

He said many Maltese SMEs cannot access EU funding because they are defined by the EU as large businesses.  

This is because, he added, they have a large property portfolio “which is not part of the company’s operation but is used only to leverage bank loans”. 

As a small island, Malta has logistical challenges that other member states do not face.

He promised to work for the EU to relax its state aid rules when considering costs related to importing and exporting.

“This is not to give an advantage to Malta but to put Maltese businesses on a level playing field with other European companies,” he said. 

ADPD leader Sandra Gauci said European funds to build roads should be used in a way that does not only focus on car users but also promotes bicycle use and walking. 

Speaking about the financial services industry, Gauci said this is based heavily on a country’s reputation and that the industry could face continued challenges due to the Vitals scandal further tarnishing Malta’s reputation. 

At a European level, MP must put Malta and not their party, first, she said.