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Matthew Vella
The EU’s latest newcomers Bulgaria and Romania have joined the union with their full complement of observer MEPs as dictated by the as yet non-ratified European Constitution.
Malta, with its sixth observer as yet not awarded by the European Parliament, although awarded by the Constitution, has still not had positive response from Brussels after Malta’s five MEPs said they would pursue the elusive sixth observer seat.
The President of the European Parliament Josep Borrell effectively sidelined the possibility of awarding Malta a sixth observer MEP until the Constitution - which awards Malta six MEPs for the next legislature in 2008 - is approved and ratified in 2006.
Despite Malta having signed the Constitutional Treaty which awards it a sixth seat in the European Parliament, Malta has not yet been invited by the European Parliament to nominate an observer MEP to take a place in the parliament until the next legislature in 2008, when Malta will be able to elect six MEPs.
Accession countries Bulgaria and Romania have instead been awarded 35 and 18 observer seats respectively following the signing of their Accession Treaty, as laid down in the Constitution.
Back in 1990, Germany was allowed an extra 12 observer seats following the reunification between East and West, to allow for an east German representation. The decision was never based on any legal basis, but was an ad-hoc initiative by the European Parliament.
Malta’s requests for a sixth, fully-fledged MEP to take a place in the parliament upon ratification of the Constitution in 2006 were refused by four EU Member States, namely France, Belgium, Austria and Spain, which were wary of creating a precedent by awarding the seat ahead of the 2008 elections.
The government had requested a ‘technical adjustment’, namely to have the sixth seat in the European Parliament right after ratification in 2006 of the Constitution Treaty which lays down a minimum of six seats for Malta, but no consensus was reached and Malta’s request was not acceded to.
All five of Malta’s MEPs said they would campaign to get the European Parliament to invite Malta to nominate a sixth observer MEP, after Malta signed the Constitution in 2004.
matthew@newsworksltd.com
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