Two important reports were approved in their respective EP committees both of relevance to  EU citizens.

The CULT committee in the European Parliament has this week approved with an overwhelming majority an opinion on "Creating a competitive EU labour market for the 21st century: matching skills and qualification with demand and job opportunities, as a way to recover from the crisis" on which Marlene Mizzi served as the S&D rapporteur.

Speaking immediately following the vote, Marlene Mizzi said: “It is indeed very satisfying to see the positive result that we got on this opinion. There was widespread consensus across all the political groups in support of my amendments which were all adopted and incorporated into the final report. The labour market needs are rapidly changing and so are skills and technologies and jobs, therefore we need to reflect the realities of today and better protect our workforce of tomorrow”.

Marlene Mizzi said:  “The existing skills mismatch is a growing problem that concerns all of us, therefore continued efforts of bringing education, training and the labour market together should be continuously reinforced. I am also very glad to see that some of my innovative ideas were supported by majority of MEPs. For example, I have asked for the development of a high quality targeted career guidance to help young people to take the right decisions in relation to their education and careers. "

The PETI Committee also approved with overwhelming majority another report on the monitoring application of EU law on which Marlene Mizzi was also the main S&D spokesperson. Marlene Mizzi said: "Implementation and transposition of EU laws remain uneven across Member States and citizens who wish to live, work or do business across Europe face day-to-day difficulties, which combined together with excessive bureaucracy and knowledge deficit have created a Union that it is not citizens friendly."

Marlene Mizzi said: “The opinion is a reflection of the reality that surrounds us and through my amendments, which were all supported by the PETI MEPs, I have tried to stress the vital role of the EU citizens and to ensure that our society is safeguarded in the best way possible. Transposition of EU law remain a persistent problem in many Member States, however I have pointed out the good records of Malta, which together with Denmark and Latvia have maintained the lowest number of infringement cases over the past 3 years. This report proves that Malta, despite its small size can indeed play an important role in shaping the future of Europe."