An EP candidate from Gozo

In Saturday's election for members of the European Parliament the people of Gozo are anxious to send to Strasbourg and Brussels their genuine representative.

Gozo, minuscule in size and suffering from double insularity, has an absolute need for focussed representation. That is why I have sought to offer my candidacy for this election. I believe that with my innate understanding of Gozo's political, social and cultural background, I can well represent the needs and expectations of its people. I will only be able to do so if I am given the people's trust expressed in a favourable vote.

I pledge to do my best for Gozo within the framework of Malta's membership of the EU. As a member of the major Maltese political party and consequently as a member of the largest political grouping in the European Parliament I will be able to bring to the fore Gozo's inherent problems as an island on the Union's southern fringe. In so doing I will be able to lean on the parliamentary muscle of the European People's Party to seek the just solutions to problems facing Gozo.

The election manifesto published by the EPP will form the basis of my efforts. In the spirit of subsidiarity, which is one of the foundations of the European Union, I will make every effort to promote investment in Gozo so that the endemic problem of unemployment will be seriously tackled.

EU Regional Programmes and funding opportunities that could benefit Gozo are plentiful and, as an MEP, it would be my duty to assist the Gozo Ministry, the Gozo Business Chamber, the Gozo Tourism Association, the Gozo Local Councils' Association and the Farmers' Co-operative, just to mention a few, to obtain their fair share of funding.

People in Gozo felt that their island region should have had direct and automatic representation in the EP when the electoral law governing European Parliamentary elections was being discussed in our Parliament. Since this was not done, representation can still be secured through the election of a Gozo candidate and the Nationalist Party, ever sensitive to the needs of Gozo, decided on the selection of one candidate from this island among the team of able candidates which is facing the electorate.

As that candidate, I feel privileged, and at the same time aware of this heavy responsibility. I must of course be empowered by the Gozo electorate's votes if I am to pursue the path I have chosen. If Gozo is to be represented, then Gozitans of all political views are called upon to support my candidacy by voting for Gozo on Saturday. I aim to be Gozo's voice in the European Parliament.