MEPs can give 'valuable' input to House committee

The participation by the five new Maltese MEPs in the Maltese Parliament's European and Foreign Affairs Committee was a practical way for the committee members to work hand in hand with the MEPs, committee chairman Jason Azzopardi said yesterday.

Standing Order 120 stipulated that MEPs had the right to attend meetings and participate in discussions of the European and Foreign Affairs Committee but had no vote or the right to propose amendments or motions.

Contacted by The Times, Dr Azzopardi said he had already requested Parliament so that after the MEPs took their oath of office in the second or third week of July they would receive the committee's agenda.

The committee had the role of scrutinising EU directives.

Dr Azzopardi explained that as soon as a proposal for a directive is drawn up by the Council and the European Parliament in Brussels, this was sent to all Parliaments to be discussed within the scrutiny committee.

The fact that local MEPs would already have knowledge of that draft and possibly also would have taken part in some committee discussion within the EP would place them in a good position to give their views to the committee on the matter.

"What we do in the scrutiny committee is to analyse details of proposed directives to see the social, political, legal environmental, financial or economic implications. This would ensure that the directive would not negatively affect the country.

"The MEPs' participation in the European and Foreign Affairs Committee is a practical way to bring about synergy among Maltese MPs in the committee and the MEPs," he said.

Since May 1 the committee is regularly meeting an average of once or twice a week, Dr Azzopardi said.

The members of the committee are Evarist Bartolo, Leo Brincat and José Herrera for the opposition, Foreign Minister John Dalli and Nationalist MPs Clyde Puli and Michael Asciak for the government.