The opposition is ready to sit down with the government to discuss Malta’s neutrality while agreeing that defence spending should be upped, shadow foreign minister Beppe Fenech Adami said on Tuesday.

But Malta should remain a neutral country and stay away from playing an active role in a military conflict, he added.

Fenech Adami was speaking to Times of Malta shortly after Robert Abela opened the door to a nationwide discussion on Malta’s neutrality.

The PN reacted angrily to Abela’s comments in a statement published on Tuesday afternoon, dubbing Abela’s position a “u-turn” and accusing him of having chosen to “fabricate an outrageous lie” ahead of last June’s MEP elections when he said that PN was in favour of war. At the time, Abela had accused European Parliament president Roberta Metsola of fomenting conflict by calling for more European defence spending. 

“Now, ironically, Robert Abela is saying exactly what the PN has always maintained,” the PN said. “We need to invest more in defence and Malta cannot interpret neutrality in a static manner but must take today’s geopolitical realities into account”.

In return, Labour accused PN of "choosing the path of populism" rather than engaging in "a responsible and mature discussion".

The party said that neutrality "is at the heart of the Labour Party," adding that Abela was "categorical that there would be no changes to the Constitution in this respect".   

National data suggests that Malta spent just under €90m on defence in 2023, roughly 1.2% of total government spending.

Neutrality should stay, Fenech Adami says

Describing himself as “surprised” by Abela’s latest comments, Fenech Adami said that “the opposition will be happy to sit down and take a snapshot of the situation to evaluate what needs to change”.

But, like Abela, he drew the line at eliminating Malta’s neutrality altogether.

“The principle of neutrality should remain, and Malta should not play an active part in a conflict, nor should it be involved in a military alliance,” he said.

Fenech Adami said he believed that “the neutrality clause has served us well” and Malta had successfully walked the tightrope between its neutral status and its international support, even in the recent conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

But Fenech Adami backed Abela’s call for defence spending to be upped, particularly in light of new threats on the horizon, citing cybercrime as one prominent example.

We have to deal with ‘non-conventional threats’: Abela

In separate comments to Times of Malta, Abela reiterated his view that Malta needs to beef up its defence capabilities, particularly when it comes to “threats and aggression from non-conventional means”.

These included cybersecurity, ecological threats and attacks on Malta’s maritime sector, he said.

Just last week, Foreign Minister Ian Borg called on the EU to take joint action to protect undersea power and communication cables, such as the one linking Malta to Sicily, from any attack or similar threats.

This does not mean doing away with neutrality altogether, Abela said, insisting that “neutrality is a principle with which we do not compromise”.

But a national discussion should explore how Malta can “ensure that we are well prepared for these non-conventional threats,” Abela said, while simultaneously pushing Malta “as a promoter of peace in Europe and the Mediterranean”.

Neutrality doesn’t mean defence spending shouldn’t increase: Agius Saliba

PL MEP Alex Agius Saliba told Times of Malta that Malta’s neutrality is here to stay, but this doesn’t mean that defence spending shouldn’t be upped.

Agius Saliba had been a vocal critic of the EU’s push for a centralised defence policy in the run-up to last June’s EP elections, frequently hitting out at Metsola for her position in support of increased military spending across the European bloc.

PL MEP head of delegation Alex Agius Saliba. File photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Describing neutrality as “a cornerstone of our foreign policy” that remains “fundamentally important”, Agius Saliba argued that “neutrality does not hinder us from investing in our defence capabilities”.

Echoing Abela’s warning, he said Malta must strengthen its infrastructure to defend itself against cyberattacks, “which are becoming novel and effective warfare against our democracies”.

Fellow PL MEP Daniel Attard said that Malta's neutrality, safeguarded by the constitution, "does not equate to isolation or a lack of defence investment" but ensures that Malta does not serve as a base for any foreign military power and that its national security decisions are guided by the country's specific needs, rather than external pressures.

Pointing to how traditional alliances "are being tested" by actions such as the US' approach to Greenland, Attard said Europe is facing "growing uncertainty and an urgent need to formulate a strategic response". However, he said, an EU response "cannot come at the expense of Malta's neutrality" and must respect its foreign policy, which has long been rooted in non-alignment.

"These principles must remain central to any discussions on defence spending."

"As a matter of principle, I share the Prime Minister’s stance that Maltese forces should not be drawn into foreign conflicts. Their primary duty is to safeguard our nation—not to serve as participants in proxy wars," Attard said.

I'm glad Abela changed his mind: Metsola

Reacting to Abela's comments, Metsola said she was "glad the prime minister finally changed his mind, abandoned his pre-election position completely and come round to agree with all the arguments I have made consistently and responsibly".

Metsola described Abela's comments as an admission "that he got it so badly wrong" and "constantly ran down our Armed Forces personnel and tried to feed misinformed lines about me to the country".