Last year, our country marked 20 years of EU membership – a milestone that offers a natural moment to reflect on how far we have come, and where we still need to go.
It is natural to want to celebrate the progress we have made but that alone will not be enough to move us forward. Realism means facing the truth, and we should be able to do so.
Too often, whether locally or on an EU level, we still see legislation created in vacuums, or worse, through knee-jerk responses to the immediacy of headlines, that anybody on the ground will tell you are either unimplementable, unrealistic or would come with consequences, like job losses and missed opportunities.
Bureaucracy, over-regulation and reporting obligations in particular, that are well-intentioned, force businesses big and small to face costs and challenges that are often duplicated or, in some cases, triplicated. I think, with a degree of self-critical analysis, of listening and changing course when needed, we can prove that our country and continent is still one on the rise. That we are still the natural home of the inventors, the builders and risk-takers.
We just need the right long-term frameworks to bring that spirit home and create sustainable growth and real prosperity that benefits us all. How do we get there?
Staying competitive is key – it is how we keep creating jobs, how we drive innovation and keep making Europe a place where everyone can reach their full potential.
That is why, as President of the European Parliament, I want the legacy of this term to be the re-launching of the European ideal: A return to strong economic growth backed by a solid security architecture, where we can leverage Europe’s influence to help Ukraine. Where we are able to meet the moment in history in the Middle East, keep standing for humanity, push forward a sustainable peace, and talk about the day after.
With geopolitical divides growing, Europe’s place on the world stage is facing extraordinary pressure that extends from geopolitics to global economics.
We need strategic thinking- Roberta Metsola
Smarter regulation does not mean more regulation. It means creating practical, efficient policies that deliver real results. Malta must not shy away from being part of the European debate. In so many areas, we should have the confidence to lead them.
As a country, we need to see the bigger strategic picture. The tribal hyper-partisanship we see every day that still permeates through so many aspects of our lives holds this country back. If there is anything I have learnt from last June’s European Parliament election, it is that we can move past it, and we must move past it.
We need thinking that goes beyond the electoral cycle on infrastructure: How can we fix our drainage, our transport, water supply and roads? How can we guarantee a stable electricity supply and how can we lower the real cost of it? How do we ensure proper, transparent processes, with predictable outcomes for all – and it’s across the board in justice, in planning, in construction.
How are we getting ready for the inevitable labour supply challenges? How can we guarantee a better quality of life? How can we ensure that, in a country with 300 days of sun, we are able to ensure everyone has a right to light?
There should be no third rail when discussing where we can go as a country. Nothing should be off the table simply because of the wrong thinking of “this is how it has always been and therefore this is how it must always remain”.
Nowhere is the impact of short-term thinking clearer than in our education sector. We need to prepare for a future that is in many ways already here. Our schools should be palaces of excellence that incentivise critical thinking. We should be transforming what is happening in our labs and universities into real-world solutions – from patents to the practical implementation of them – that have the real potential to change lives.
I want our society to be future-driven, upward-focused, with our eyes set firmly on what comes next. For that, we need strategic thinking, planning and implementation. In short: We need to fix the system.
It means Malta and Gozo regaining our confidence and stop using our geography as an excuse for mediocrity. We are capable of so much more.
That’s the Malta I want the world to see more of. That’s the Malta I want to emerge in 2025.
Roberta Metsola is President of the European Parliament.