EU 2020 targets remain on paper

Former Prime Minister and Maltese MEP Alfred Sant said that on big things like addressing the migration crisis, social cohesion, economic and social imbalances, the EU was not decisive in the last five years. Dr Sant, reacting to the President of the European Commission’s speech on the State of the Union at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, said most targets set in the Europe-2020-Strategy remain only on paper.
The Maltese MEP reminded the European Parliament that President Juncker at the beginning of his Commission’s term in 2014 said that ‘The Commission must be big on the big things, and act only where it can achieve better results than Member States acting alone”.
“While agreeing with this approach, I believe that as of today, it has not happened. If there were attempts in that direction, they were insufficient to correct the weaknesses of the Union.”
Dr Sant said that we were told that “more Europe” is the solution. This has increased citizens’ expectations. One year before the European elections, citizens still find themselves distant from what happens in Brussels. In a world where globalisation is valued, perhaps, only for economic purposes, citizens are not finding their request for better representation in the European institutions, but in national political fora. Which is why populism in many EU countries has progressed so much. It will not be countered by establishing new layers of institutions or policies. What we should work for is a genuine, shared political consolidation of a few key priorities, remarked the Maltese MEP.

Maltese Version – ĦAFNA MILL-MIRI TAL-UE GĦAL 2020 BAQGĦU FUQ IL-KARTA

L-UE fi kwistjonijiet importanti, bħall-indirizzar tal-kriżi tal-immigrazzjoni, il-koeżjoni soċjali u ekonomika u l-iżbilanċi soċjali, l-UE ma kinitx deċiża f’dawn l-aħħar ħames snin. Ħafna mill-miri tal-Istrateġija Ewropea-2020 baqgħu fuq il-karta. Dan qalu Alfred Sant b’reazzjoni għad-diskors tal-President tal-Kummissjoni Ewropea dwar l-Istat tal-Unjoni fil-Plenarja ta’ Strasburgu,
Dr Sant fakkar lil Parlament Ewropew li fil-bidu tat-terminu tiegħu fl-2014, il-President Juncker kien qal li “Il-Kummissjoni għandu jkollha impatt kbir fuq kwistjonijiet kbar, u għandha taġixxi biss fejn tkun tista’ tikseb riżultati aħjar milli kieku l-istati membri jaġixxu waħedhom.”
“Għalkemm naqbel ma’ din l-idea, nemmen li sa issa dan ma seħħx. Jekk kien hemm xi attentat immirat lejn din id-direzzjoni, dan ma kienx biżżejjed biex jiġu kkoreġuti d-dgħufijiet tal-Unjoni.”
Dr Sant qal li s-soluzzjoni, kien intqal, kienet “aktar Ewropa”. Din żiedet l-aspettattivi taċ-ċittadini. Sena qabel l-elezzjonijiet Ewropej, iċ-ċittadini għadhom qed iħossuhom ’il bogħod minn dak li jseħħ fi Brussell. F’dinja fejn il-globalizzazzjoni għandha piż, forsi, minħabba skopijiet ekonomiċi, iċ-ċittadini mhux isibu min jirrappreżentahom aħjar fl-istituzzjonijiet Ewropej, iżda qed isibuhom fil-fora politiċi nazzjonali. Għalhekk il-populiżmu f’ħafna pajjiżi tal-UE żied l-appoġġ. Dan mhux se nirribattuh billi nistabilixxu saffi ta’ istituzzjonijiet. Għandna minflok naħdmu lejn konsolidament politiku ġenwin ta’ ftit prijoritajiet fundamentali, qal Alfred Sant.