Nationalist Party MEPs David Casa and Peter Agius will be joining the European Parliament's housing and public health committees respectively, the PN said.
The HOUS Committee will address the housing situation across the EU with the aim of sharing best practices, reducing bureaucracy, and promoting the creation of high-quality, sustainable, and affordable accommodation.
"The housing situation itself is not an EU competence, but there are areas where EU action can impact the reliability and accessibility of the existing and future housing stock. The reality is that young people are finding it very difficult to acquire their own homes, but existing homeowners are also facing pressures resulting from certain EU measures, which can in turn also impact the rental market. Where the EU can act, it should work for the common good. And in areas that are not under EU competence, we can bring about positive change through specific recommendations and by sharing best practices with governments," Casa said.
The SANT Committee, which focuses on public health, will work on pharmaceuticals and medical devices, specific programmes and actions in the field of public health, preparedness and response to health crises, mental health and patient rights, health aspects of bioterrorism, the European Medicines Agency, and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, as well as relations with the World Health Organization.
"Through my membership in this committee, I want to send a signal of hope to Maltese patients and families who are witnessing a healthcare service in crisis in Malta and are still paying for fraudulent contracts for three hospitals. In Europe, we will see that we help Maltese families, including those affected by cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, by opening opportunities for medical advancements and care for Maltese people here at home and beyond our shores," Peter Agius said.
PN leader Bernard Grech congratulated the two MEPs on their new roles and said that this was a testament to the trust PN MEPs enjoy at the European level.