EU partnership over membership | Alfred Sant

Labour Party leader between 1992 and 2008, now a Labour MP – opposed EU membership, favoured loose association he termed ‘partnership’.

Labour MP Alfred Sant
Labour MP Alfred Sant

Former Labour Party leader Alfred Sant says we should compare what happened since EU membership with what would have happened otherwise.

 “Growth has been fuelled by the financial services sector. The same would also have happened under a Maltese partnership with the EU, but other sectors would have remained leading players,” Sant says.

Eight years after accession, former Prime Minister Alfred Sant argues that relative poverty has increased.

“Relative poverty has increased. Membership benefits greatly 20% of the population... The rest have been left behind. With partnership, Malta would have done better by way of modernisation and social fairness.

Read the complete interview in MaltaToday.

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I am waiting to see whether Simon Busutti will reply to Dr. Alfred Sant's comments ! He has never replied to any of the letters I wrote on the same subject mentioning him by name. He seems happy to just spin the usual EU propaganda, but when challenged on the figures he quotes, and especially the figures he IGNORES - which give a very different picture of EU membership - he remains silent !
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Let bygones be bygones Alfred! Li kieku u li kien qatt ma ltaqghu flimkien. Issa inutili tibki fuq il-mejjet. Gawdew il-ftit u uliedhom kif kienu ikantaw! Tiftakar?
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Purely speculative and, above all, goes to prove those who claim that Dr. Sant is still a fervent EU opponent and will always remains one. If poverty has increased in Malta that it is undboubtedly caused primarily by the poor local governance. On the other hand our membership in the EU has forced Malta to start taking some steps in environmental improvements which will become more and more crucial issues for our health and quality of life, something whcih we wudn't have done otherwise. Joining the EU is a long term project and cannot be measured with the short term results that Dr Sant is using to validate his convictions.
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vincent carbonaro
No one's laughing at him now.
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agree with Dr Sant 100%, imma il PN, il Knisja u hafna Laburisti riedu shubija ghax ikunu jistu jmorru jahdmu kullimkien. Kliem Alfred Sant wasal kollu, kien bhal Hudini fuq l-EU.