Maltese neutrality is still relevant, asks De Marco
Nationalist MP Mario de Marco said it was time for Malta to consider whether the neutrality clause introduced in the Constitution in 1987 was still relevant 35 years later, particularly in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. .
Speaking in Parliament, the former PN Deputy Leader – one of three party veterans left out of the shadow cabinet by party leader Bernard Grech – noted that the clause was introduced in a completely different context, with Malta pursuing a non-alignment in the Cold War between two superpowers.
“But the scenario has now changed,” he added. “It simply came to our notice then. Can we remain neutral in the face of an unwarranted invasion? Can we be neutral in the face of war that no one has sought and no one has provoked?
With that in mind, he said, the ongoing process of constitutional reform should consider whether the 1987 clause still makes sense in 2022.
The clause was introduced in article 1 of the Constitution of Malta, which states that “Malta is a neutral state that actively seeks peace, security and social progress among all nations by adhering to policy of non-alignment and refuses to participate in any military alliance. ”
He goes on to specify that this meant, among other things, that Malta should not allow any foreign military base in its territory, or the use of its military facilities by any foreign forces in most circumstances.
Malta is one of five historically neutral EU member states, along with Austria, Finland, Ireland and Sweden, with all others being members of NATO.
However, Finland and Sweden – which have maintained a policy of neutrality for more than two centuries – are now seeking to join the alliance.
Last week, PN MP Eve Borg Bonello had argued that Malta’s neutrality would in fact require it to sever all ties with Russia: if it did otherwise it would in fact see it as an accomplice to the invasion that launched the country.
Neutral Malta ‘has nothing to do’ with Russia – Borg Bonello