Bid to bring EU closer to people

A bid to bring the European Union closer to people was launched yesterday in Valletta, taking the form of a fair that groups together all the agencies in Malta that provide information about the EU.

The Europe Close to You Fair, being held under a large tent at Freedom Square, was organised by the European Commission Representation Office in collaboration with the European Parliament Information Office.

It aims to raise awareness of the various entities providing information relating to EU affairs, programmes and support in Malta and Gozo. The fair is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and from 9 to 2 p.m. tomorrow.

The participants are the Malta Solvit Centre, Media Programme, Culture 2000, the European Consumer Centre, Eures-European Employment Service, Europe Direct, the European Documentation Centre, the Malta-EU Information Centre, Temi Zammit Foundation and the European Union Programmes Unit.

Opening the fair yesterday, Joanna Drake, who heads the European Commission Representation Office in Malta, said that although the EU was there to make a difference in peoples' lives, it was very complex; for citizens to be able to benefit they needed to inform themselves.

She referred to what is known as Plan D, standing for democracy, dialogue and discussion, which was recently launched by European Commissioner Margot Wallström.

Democracy was only possible if the people were informed and the EU wanted to listen to what the people had to say about Europe and how it was affecting their lives, Dr Drake said.

Plan D, which followed the "no" vote on the EU Constitution by the people of France and The Netherlands, was intended to help establish where Europe was heading, she said.

The Malta Commission office was taking this opportunity to launch a public debate on the future of Europe. The representation, she said, was going to embark on broad consultation with civil society so that the Maltese would participate directly in decisions taken in Europe.

The acting head of the European Parliament Information Office, Saviour Grech, said the exhibition demonstrated the initiatives which had been taken to inform the public.

This, he said, was only the first in a series of steps to be taken to bring the EU closer to the people.

A public debate on the question Has The EU Changed Your Life?" will be held in front of the tent tomorrow between 10.30 a.m. and noon.