Malta confirms commitment to support Brexit extension

Malta will agree to the United Kingdom’s request for a Brexit extension, providing the request is justified and would help trigger an orderly exit, Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat reconfirmed in a press statement issued by the government’s Department of Information (DOI).

“The ball is in the UK’s court after its Parliament voted against the present deal with the EU. It also voted against leaving the EU without a deal. So the current situation means the UK needs to either accept the deal or not exit the EU at all”, the Prime Minister said, according to the press statement.

He said the European Union would not change its position for not to compromise the principles it is built upon. “It is not a case of stubbornness by the EU, but a case of being realistic,” the prime minister said.

PM Muscat explained that there are some challenges for the United Kingdom if given an extension. “Primarily, the EU treaties are clear: the UK will be expected to organise the European Parliament elections in May, even though these will not have any relevance in the long-term. It is also clear that the UK cannot have a veto on an EU budget that it will not be part of.”