Twenty years ago we were voting in the critical referendum and general election of March and April 2003 on the most significant decision since independence in 1964. Next year we’ll be marking 20 years of European Union membership and voting in our fifth European election.
It may seem like yesterday that Malta joined the EU but it has actually been a generation ago. The Union has undergone profound changes since then. A geopolitical energy market and the zero emissions economy dominate the agenda in Brussels right now. They hardly featured when Eddie Fenech Adami signed Malta’s accession treaty into the EU.
The needs and aspirations of Maltese society have evolved too. My inspiration to run in next year’s European election stems from the belief that it is now time to bridge Malta’s needs to the constantly evolving EU landscape. It is now time to renew our collective ambition to make the best of EU membership.
I have been working with European institutions since Malta joined the European family. In my work running the European Parliament’s office in Malta, as advisor to negotiations and in the legal service of the European Council and as member of President Antonio Tajani’s cabinet, I have become acutely aware of the wide untapped potential that the EU can offer to Malta.
We have done a lot since we joined the EU. Malta’s accession is a success story but much more can be done if we manage to bridge Malta’s concrete societal needs and the EU’s policies and objectives.
This counts for the application of existing EU law as much as it counts for the need to mould new EU legislation with Malta in mind. I firmly believe that Maltese needs and interests need to feature much more prominently in the EU decision-making process, which, all too frequently, is calqued on the needs of citizens in big cities on the continent.
In all fairness, it is not the EU’s fault if it decides on new laws that do not cater for Maltese needs if Malta was silent or inefficient when the laws were being discussed at the drafting stage. All too frequently, Malta wakes up too late.
The new EU trucking rules costing our consumers and businesses over €400 extra expenses per container are only one of a series of examples. Tragically, more of these examples are lining up over this same legislature.
Far too often, EU regulations are drafted without considering the unique characteristics of small island states, putting Malta at a disadvantage. We must pile pressure on the EU for it to address this systemic prejudice to our interests.
Two years ago, I participated in the process of the Future of Europe Conference, suggesting that the European Commission introduces a ‘cost of insularity’ test in its impact assessment before proposing any new legislation. This proposal would change a lot for Malta, for the better. It would secure that the EU machinery considers the needs of small islands from day one of the legislative process. I am determined to press on this cause.
Over the past years, I have dedicated a lot of my time to meeting individuals and families from all backgrounds, to listen more than speak, to understand needs and aspirations coming from a myriad of backgrounds and sectors and then to suggest informed solutions based on my understanding of the work of European institutions.
I have become acutely aware of the wide untapped potential that the EU can offer to Malta- Peter Agius
Over the past four years, I have strived to fulfil the promises I made during the previous European election campaign as an MEP candidate. I have successfully lobbied the European Commission on multiple occasions, resulting in tangible benefits for Maltese consumers, such as lifting a ban on grain exports from Hungary, helping Maltese fishermen with EU patrols, securing EU funding for free WiFi in our villages and helping a growing number of individual cases get their full EU rights.
I have persistently advocated for the promotion of local food production for I strongly believe in the fundamental importance of food security for our families.
Additionally, I have worked towards extending the benefits of EU membership to students, workers and the business community. I took initiatives on EU funding, EU opportunities for transport and connectivity, youths and Gozo.
In my vision of politics, these are the bread-and-butter issues people want us to address. While doing my part in local politics, I have made an effort to assist anyone who has reached out to me with the goal of expanding EU opportunities for all.
I believe that it is the duty of anyone in public life in Malta to help people negotiate the often-complex structures set up in EU programmes and projects.
Politics, I believe, is a calling to serve all members of our community at all levels, be they European or local. When people reach out, they do not really care whether you are a local, national or European politician. They care for a concrete result for their concern.
I think that people are tired of self-centred politicians who are in politics only for themselves and for their close associates, recklessly siphoning off and squandering Malta’s resources. We need leaders who can focus their energy intelligently towards tangible progress for others.
The upcoming European and local council elections offer us an opportunity to bring about meaningful developments in Malta. I am fully committed to playing a role in that effort.
Should you want to be part of this wave of new energy, please, do get in touch. Change needs your input too.
Peter Agius is a PN MEP candidate.