St John's vote keeps MPs away from important EU meetings

The controversial St John's Co-Cathedral motion moved by the opposition has kept Maltese MPs away from two important meetings in Brussels, leaving European Parliament officials unimpressed.

Nationalist and Labour MPs changed their plans at the eleventh hour and Malta was the only EU member state with empty seats during these meetings.

The St John's motion was up for vote on Wednesday evening but was cancelled following a decision by the government and the Church to pull the plug on the cathedral's museum extension project.

Sources close to the EP told The Times the Maltese MPs cancelled after they were ordered by their parties to call off any overseas business and make sure they were to be in Parliament for this important vote.

"Unfortunately, Malta was again the only EU member state which didn't send its MPs for these meetings. Although there was a valid reason we have to note that Malta's participation in our meetings is Brussels leaves much to be desired," an official said.

This week's meetings concerned the future of the EU Cohesion policy, organised by the Committee for Regional Development, and the current economic crisis, organised by the Committee for Economic and Monetary Affairs.

These meetings, organised on a regular basis by the EP, are meant to bring together MEPs and MPs from all member states to discuss common strategies.

EP officials have repeatedly called for increased participation by the Maltese in its workings, as in many cases the country has been the only member state not represented at such meetings - not leaving a very good impression.

The issue is not easy to resolve because there is no pairing agreement between the government and the opposition.

"The fact the government has only got a one-seat majority and the opposition is refusing to agree on pairing makes life for our MPs very difficult as they can't be away from the country as needed," a senior official of the House of Representatives told The Times.

To enhance cooperation between the EP and national parliaments, many legislative chambers have established a permanent presence in Brussels through an office at the EP. These offices are headed by permanent representatives and normally serve to facilitate communication between the EP and their own parliaments.

Since its accession to the EU in 2004, the Maltese Parliament has not felt the need to establish such a direct link or open a permanent office.

The only other member states not represented at the EP on a permanent basis are Portugal and Spain. Bulgaria and Romania, which joined the EU last year, have already opened their parliamentary offices in the EP complex in Brussels.