Probably summer could not have come at a worse time for this country. The first months of this year saw us all in the thick of critical political decisions. In spite of the fact that we had a referendum and a general election, the real issue was one - membership of the European Union. The minute that issue was decided and even the shouting was over, it was summer - and a hot, scorching one for that matter.

However, we are all aware that, between the last election and Malta's effective date of entry into the European Union, a lot of work needed to be done. Too many decisions were left pending, depending on the results of the referendum and the election. There were even those who simply stalled the decision-making process because they were against Malta's membership of the EU.

We are now in a situation where there are too many issues that have come to a head and must all be solved before the May 1, 2004 deadline.

Hence, my initial statement that we could well have done without summer when in the normal course of events, things slow down quite a bit in Malta. These issues tend to focus all on the economy; be they issues relating to public finance, be they issues that relate to monetary policies, be they issues that relate to specific wealth generation activities.

For example, one such issue is Malta's entry into the so-called eurozone. This shall not happen by next May but an element of integration of our fiscal policies and our monetary policies with those of the eurozone countries would have to happen.

Malta's entry into the eurozone would not imply just the adoption of the euro as our national currency. It would also imply adhering to the economic criteria that were established on the setting up of the euro.

These are criteria that relate to public finance like the size of the public sector deficit in relation to the gross domestic product. Then there is also the aspect of a common monetary policy and therefore we would gradually have to align our monetary policy to that of the European Central Bank. This would not be just an issue of interest rates, where ours are higher than those of the eurozone, but it is also an issue of the exchange rate at which the Maltese lira will join the euro.

Thus, just one issue (Malta's adoption of the euro) generates so many considerations. There are other examples to give, like the agricultural sector, the full impact of EU competition rules on the manufacturing sector and the level of preparedness of government-controlled organisations operating in key sectors of the economy for Malta's entry into the EU.

There is the urgent need to be up and running by May 1, 2004. All these issues and the numerous considerations that come with them will take a great deal of time to analyse and then resolve - and all within a relatively short time span. Thus there is a requirement on all concerned to stay focussed.

In this regard, the role of the social partners cannot be overemphasised. We have a situation where all key organisations (with the exception of the Malta Labour Party and the General Workers' Union) in this country are in favour of Malta becoming a member of the European Union. However, even these two organisations have since the last general election declared that they accept the decision of the electorate.

Within this context one has to appreciate that we are talking of issues that shall have an impact on our economy for years to come, irrespective of who is in government. It is therefore best that they are resolved with the involvement of everyone.

The deadline of May 2004 could therefore serve as a coagulant in such a situation. This is why it would have been better for Malta had the summer season been postponed this year.