A force to be reckoned with

Imagine our continent without the unifying force of the European Union. When I say ‘the unifying force’, I am not referring to some super power, or magical knot. This unifying force is nothing but the legal framework of the European Union, particularly the Principle of Primacy of Union Law that creates a legal framework that binds us together and ascertains that everything remains functioning.

Truth be told, an EU without this unifying force is not at all a mere hypothetical scenario - it is not news that with every passing day, there is an increase of actors both within and outside of our Union, attempting to dismantle this beautiful project that our fore parents dreamed of, built and which we have now been entrusted with by citizens. This trust brings with it a huge responsibility. Specifically, the responsibility to protect and strengthen the European project in a way which benefits all Member States and all European citizens and residents.

This is where the importance of own-initiative reports like the one I was entrusted with, lies. We believe that preserving the functionality, cohesion, and consistency of our Union is non-negotiable. This is why we have initiated recommendations to strengthen the Union's legal order through this own initiative report. We wanted to make it clear that the European Parliament is unwavering in its commitment to uphold the rule of law and ensure a uniform legal framework across all Member States. Through this report, we also want to ensure that the European legal order is fully respected and that all Member States, present and future, sign up for this wholeheartedly.

Why present and future? Because while it is crucial to remind the current Member States about what we signed up for, it is just as important to ensure that candidate countries which will inevitably form part of the next European Union enlargement, are aware and ready to commit to these constituting principles right from the get-go.

This coming year we will be celebrating the 20th anniversary since Malta joined the European Union. It feels like as if it were only yesterday, that we were going from one locality to the other, speaking about our values and how Union membership was going to open up more opportunities and strengthen our freedoms.

After all, we come together because of our shared values, and in the face of the growing challenges, our strength lies in staying united notwithstanding the diversity within us. This is what we sought to put into the text of this report - the heart of our cohesion, the rule of law and the good functioning of our legal framework, which after all - all of our Member States agreed to when we decided to join this beautiful project of ours.

Some have asked why should we even work on this report, knowing that the Principle of Primacy of Union Law is a given, an obvious thing - without which our Union wouldn't even exist. Well, except those on the far right. The final vote in favour of this Report sent a clear message:

We value our European project. We want to see it strengthened. If we dismantle what is fundamental, and what holds us together legally, then unfortunately, our Union would cease to exist. I am glad to see that our work was approved by all democratic parties in the European Parliament, from left to right, and now look forward to the implementation of our recommendations.