Watch: ‘I Will Remember It Forever’: Roberta Metsola Recounts Moment Malta Became A Member Of The EU
President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola has recounted the moment Malta officially became a member of the European Union, describing a celebratory scene where thousands of Maltese people counted down the seconds to that historic day.
“I will never forget where I was between 30th April and 1st May 2004. I was standing in Valletta with thousands of people, we were all focussed on the Grand Harbour, counting down the minutes and seconds until Malta joined the EU,” Metsola said during the last plenary session of the EP’s ninth legislature which came just a week before the 20th anniversary of the EU’s biggest enlargement.
“There was a strong sense of purpose and unity, our future became limitless. I will always remember the huge crowd, this moment will remain in my memory forever.”
On 1st May 2004, 10 countries – Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia – joined the EU, changing the trajectory of the continent forever.
“I remember thinking of all those generations of Europeans for whom the EU was only a dream and now it became a reality. I thought of how against all odds, we were able to bury the ghosts of the past,” Metsola explained.
“We had a divided continent but now it was united. North, South, East, West, and Baltics are all united. In these two decades, Europe has been met with unprecedented challenges and together we were able to tackle them head-on.”
The EU is celebrating this historic moment almost 20 years later, with key high-profile figures attending this ceremony, as well as the former Prime Ministers of the ten countries that became EU member states on 1st May 2004, this includes Malta’s very own Lawrence Gonzi.
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