The drivers of Malta's growing euroscepticism
Some of the expectations of EU membership became reality. Others were illusions
In 2022, according to Statista, a global data and business intelligence platform, Malta, Ireland, Luxembourg and Portugal were the most Europhile member States, with 65 per cent of Maltese having a positive or fairly positive perception of the EU.
However, a more recent Eurobarometer survey has confirmed that, today, only 26 per cent of Maltese say things are going in the right direction in the EU, a drop of almost 40 per cent in a year. So, what is driving this growing euroscepticism?
One must analyse the backdrop to today’s realities to understand this dramatic fall in people’s confidence in the EU.
When Malta joined the Union in 2004, most Maltese saw membership as a way of further integrating with mainland Europe, to benefit from the rights of freedom of movement, better business opportunities and an upgrading of the local political culture.
Some of these great expectations became reality. Others proved to be just illusions.
More European citizens are dissatisfied with a perceived system that no longer benefits them. They see the EU leadership and institutions as focused more on short-term political posturing than addressing the issues affecting their lives. Petty squabbling between the leaders of the EU’s political institutions has led to many saying that those at the top of the Brussels food chain are prioritising their own careers and personal power over the lives of European citizens.
Local MEPs gave this newspaper a range of explanations for the decline in trust in the EU among the Maltese. Those explanations ranged from the lack of emphasis and action on the social agenda to irregular migration and the particularly challenging circumstances that citizens have faced over the last few years, including the pandemic, high inflation and the Ukraine war.
Our MEPs’ solutions reflect the official line of the Brussels leadership, including more investment in the green economy and digitalisation, the need for more social solidarity and more focus on regional issues. Not much was said about the existential threats that the EU faces and the inability of its leadership to address them effectively.
The drivers behind the growing euroscepticism vary in the different member States. One common trend, however, is the disillusionment of many Europeans with mainstream parties that have lost touch with ordinary people. Politicking in Brussels is nothing new. Europhiles are frustrated with the narrow interests of politicians and bureaucrats who prefer to manipulate the EU’s governance structures rather than deal with the real issues facing the Union.
The big decisions of the EU are hammered out behind closed doors, whether inside the European Commission or at meetings of EU leaders in the Council. EU leaders bargain in private, then announce their decisions in mellifluous statements, leaving ordinary citizens with a fait accompli.
In Malta, in the last year, more people have become disillusioned with their own frustrating realities. The population explosion, the traffic mayhem, overdevelopment, environmental neglect, high inflation and the transformational cost to implement the Green Deal are reasons many are losing trust in both the local and the EU political systems.
The next EP election will be the litmus test that decides whether the Maltese are indeed falling out of love with the EU.
Many will want to see tangible proof that the new commission will bring about the changes necessary to address the structural flaws hindering the Union from guaranteeing a better future for its people.