Growing up, whenever I looked at our elected representatives, I would look at them in awe. I grew up believing that these were the people who make a difference, who could change the world. And even if none of them particularly looked like me, they could still create a world which was also made for me.

Growing up a gay man, change was only a dream. We made that dream a reality.  We’re living in an era where an American-Maltese former Democratic presidential candidate kissed his husband on public television for all the world to see. Belgium elected the world’s first transgender deputy prime minister and nobody bats an eyelash.

As I grew from a campaigner to a young political activist, a deputy mayor, to a candidate and, now, into an MEP, I had faith that, as I grew older, more and more politicians would look like me, sound like me and want the same for the world as I do. I had faith in human beings and human interaction.

As a young person increasingly entranced by new technology and global connectivity, I could see how our future looked closer, more connected than ever before.

And the more the internet took over our daily lives, the more I realised that global connectivity would change us in the way that I craved as a human being. It would help us understand each other better, by highlighting our differences,  by making it evident that we do not all fit in the same frames and we don’t all tick the same boxes. And I had faith that this global phenomenon would hit even the most traditional shores in my own home, Malta, as a new EU member open to the winds of change.

My journey in the Labour Party happened because of this phenomenon. I joined the Labour Party after campaigning in the divorce referendum of 2011. The pull I felt towards progressive ideas wasn’t mine alone. In the Labour Party, I could express my ideals and push the boundaries of traditional policy to ensure a more open and equal society for all,  including myself, as a gay man, away from what I was accustomed to within the Nationalist Party.

I ask you to judge me by the actions I will take and the changes I will seek to create

And what I sought to do the day I joined the Labour Party,  which was to join a movement of progress, I still seek to do today as I embark on my journey representing those living in Malta and Gozo as a Maltese MEP.

I believe in progressive policy because it looks towards the future. It creates solutions today for the challenges of tomorrow. It brings people together, creates a safe space for everyone and helps protect those who need most assistance. And this is what I want to be bringing to the European Parliament for the rest of this mandate. It’s what I pledge to do.

And while my identity as a human rights, leftist, environmental activist says much about who I am, it cannot tell you what I will do. So with that I ask you to judge me by the actions I will take and the changes I will seek to create, which, I hope, will achieve a long-lasting positive impact on the lives of all Maltese and Europeans.

The world finds itself in a difficult time. The COVID-19 pandemic has left us all in a period of our lives where everything we once knew has changed. And this is the reality which I will be entering into when I arrive at the European Parliament to represent you. And like many other politicians, I will be faced with a choice. The choice to keep going with the status quo, to pretend that everything can go back to business as usual when the pandemic is over or the choice to recognise that the deterioration of parts of society created by the pandemic leave open gaps for the creation of something new and exciting.

As difficult as this time has been, we now find ourselves realising what an effect a change in lifestyle can have on our planet and our well-being. We have seen decreases in pollution all across the globe that could have huge positive impacts on our planet. Our time away from consumption has given our planet a second to breathe.

We have better understood the importance of our mental health, our family and friendly connections, the privilege we have in comparison to others and how quality of life includes so many aspects that we once took for granted.

The future is a blank slate. We do not know what it holds. But what I do know is that with hard work and dedication it is a future which can look as colourful as our societies, as welcoming, as homely and as safe. And this is my pledge to you.

Cyrus Engerer is a Labour Party MEP.