Following several conversations with leading officials of the Nationalist Party and some of its most prominent politicians, we can confirm that Opposition Leader Bernard Grech and the party’s leadership agree in principle to subscribe to the EU’s ReArm Europe package without violating Malta’s constitutional clauses. This would mean that Malta opts into schemes involving defence expenditure and coordination with EU member states on strategic issues such as commodities, supply chains, and access to space, while opting out of providing weapons to Ukraine.
The ReArm Europe program is voluntary, with its schemes also being optional, meaning a member state can join the program without providing weapons to Ukraine. Malta’s Prime Minister Robert Abela voted in favour of the programme at the EU Council with only Hungary voting against.
PN MEPs, Peter Agius and David Casa abstained in their vote over the ReArm Europe package. They agree in principle with the support measures to help EU member-states ramp up their defences and consolidate their strategic national assets, however they do not want to give fuel to the Labour Party’s propaganda and disinformation campaign against the potential of ramping up Malta’s defences. The MEPs abstained from the vote to avoid provoking Labour into escalating its disinformation and attacks: this is a strategy that the Nationalist Party is widely adopting over defence, and also explains the rhetoric used by the Opposition Leader on the matter.
The Labour government is also effectively borrowing money to increase its defence expenditure on the Armed Forces of Malta year on year. The Armed Forces of Maltas are also increasingly purchasing new weapons and equipment.
Peter Agius also publicly stated he is in favour of ramping up Malta’s defence. In statements given to the press late last week, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said that she is also in favour of Malta ramping up its defences through the ReArm Europe package.
The Labour government has so far abused of defence issues for partisan purposes making the necessity for a national debate on Malta’s defence even greater. Its partisan behaviour has also continued to reflect poorly on its handling of Malta’s national security, following a scandal in which a military base was recently raided by thieves who stole a disputed amount of drugs. No one has resigned over the scandal
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