Joining the EU ‘best decision Malta could have made’, Muscat tells UK voters

Once an advocate of why Malta should not join the European Union, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat is now telling British voters that joining the EU was “the best decision” the island could have been made.

Writing in the British i newspaper, Muscat – who has repeatedly said he supported a UK in the EU – argued that the referendum on Britain’s membership will have profound consequences not just for Britain but also for the rest of Europe and Commonwealth too.

“As Prime Minister of a country that, like Britain, is both a member of the EU and the Commonwealth, I believe that in today’s world we should be coming together to solve the challenges of the future, not withdrawing from the strategic networks that have served us both so well,” Muscat, who is a former MEP, said.

“I am also someone who campaigned against my own country joining the EU, but today acknowledges joining was the best decision we could have made.”

Muscat, who is the chair-in-office of the Commonwealth, also argued that the Commonwealth will not be better off with the UK out of the EU.

“The Commonwealth has no desire to see Britain withdraw from being a leading player in Europe. It is neither in the interests of Britain nor the Commonwealth,” Muscat said.