Former Prime Minister and Maltese MEP Alfred Sant chose not to vote on a resolution at the European Parliament expressing concerns over judicial reforms and corruption in Romania. Dr Sant said he was not participating in this vote because the procedures adopted in the European Parliament to consider and pass judgement on governmental decision making in EU Member States are not objective, transparent or fair.
Dr Sant said his position on this vote carries the previous stances he took on the assessment of potential breaches of the rule of law in the EU. Questions regarding respect for the rule of law in member states constitute a crucial issue which needs to be tackled in a transparent and fully clinical – not to say objective – manner.
“I say so from personal knowledge of how such procedures are being applied in the case of my country, Malta, where the methods adopted by Members of this Parliament to examine governance issues, are crassly biased. This has happened to the extent that when so-called NGOs are consulted about the situation in the country, they are chosen in a partisan and one sided way. If such approaches are adopted with regard to a given country, it cannot be excluded that they are also followed in other instances. The politicised manner by which this Parliament investigates governance issues nullify the credibility and legitimacy of such investigations. I do not want my vote to give the impression that this fundamental flaw is non-problematic.”
The resolution was adopted with 473 in favour, 151 against, 40 abstentions.
Maltese Version – ALFRED SANT MA JIVVOTAX DWAR RIŻOLUZZJONI FUQ IR-RUMANIJA – JGĦID LI L-METODI TAL-PARLAMENT EWROPEW DWAR MALTA KIENU PREĠUDIKATI.
Il-Kap tad-Delegazzjoni Laburista fil-Parlament Ewropew Alfred Sant għażel li ma jivvotax dwar riżoluzzjoni li tesprimi tħassib dwar ir-riformi ġudizjarji u l-korruzzjoni fir-Rumanija. Dr Sant qal li ma kienx qed jipparteċipa fuq dan il-vot għax il-proċeduri li jadotta l-Parlament Ewropew biex jiġġudika deċiżjonijiet tal-Gvernijiet fl-Istati Membri ma humiex oġġettivi, trasparenti u ġusti.
Dr Sant qal li mistoqsijiet relatati dwar ir-rispett tal-istat tad-dritt fl-Istati Membri jikkostitwixxu kwistjoni kruċjali li trid tiġi ttrattata b’mod trasparenti u kompletament kliniku – b’mod oġġettiv.
“Qed ngħid dan mill-għarfien personali tiegħi kif dawn il-proċeduri qed jiġu applikati fil-każ ta’ pajjiżi, Malta, fejn il-metodi addottati mill-Membri ta’ dan il-Parlament biex jeżaminaw kwistjonijiet governattivi, huma ippreġudikati għall-aħħar. Dan qed iseħħ tant li dawk li jissejħu NGOs u li huma kkonsultati fuq is-sitwazzjoni f’pajjiżi, ntgħażlu b’mod partiġġjan u minn kamp wieħed. Jekk dawn il-metodi huma addottati fir-rigward ta’ pajjiż wieħed, ma jistax ikun eskluż li l-istess metodi qed ikunu addottati f’sitwazzjonijiet oħra. Il-mod politiċizzat ta’ kif dan il-Parlament jinvestiga l-kwistjonijiet ta’ governanza ixejjen il-kredibilita` u l-leġittimita` ta’ dawn l-investigazzjonijiet. Ma rridx li l-vot tiegħi jagħti l-impressjoni li dan in-nuqqas fundamentali ma hux problematiku.” qal Alfred Sant.
Ir-riżoluzzjoni ġiet addottata b’473 favur, 151 kontra u 40 astensjoni.
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