Since the early seventies Malta has acted as a catalyst in bridge building within the Mediterranean region. For centuries, the Mediterranean Sea itself was a connecting platform that facilitated trade and communication to its surrounding states, linking faraway cultures and states.
The Mediterranean region has for centuries maintained close people-to-people relations and through the exchange of innumerable ideas, artisanship, artefacts and trade, was transformed into a unique cosmopolitan region. Nonetheless, the economic and environmental picture of individual member states represents multiple differences and challenges on various fronts within the region.
Unfortunately, beneath the colourful picture of early civilisations, there exists a smudged reality reflecting novel or prolonged historical rifts. This includes intense military, violent and political instability, human rights violations, increased economic and educational inequality and a general stalemate in human and social development.
Parliamentary diplomacy
Following in the footsteps of my esteemed colleague, Foreign Minister George Vella, I have been active in various standing committees of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) since my first years of being elected to parliament in 2003 and led the Maltese delegation for the past four years. It was indeed a great honour that, during last week's plenary session of the parliamentary assembly, I was elected as the Malta candidate to PAM's Bureau, the highest organ of the Mediterranean assembly.
The PAM was established formally in 2005 with a specific international juridical status. It is the forum where the Parliaments of 26 member states and six associate members come together and work to reach common objectives and create the best political, social, economic and cultural environment and conditions for its fellow citizens.
PAM is a regional interstate organization, an Observer at the General Assembly of the United Nations. The Assembly plays a fundamental role as an organization whose activities are firmly rooted as a complementary asset to the work of other regional and international bodies entrusted with the responsibility to foster security, stability and peace in the Mediterranean. Over a short period, PAM has established itself as the main actor in parliamentary diplomacy in the region, and its commitment to the founding principles and its Charter, is guaranteed by the continued support of all its member parliaments. Malta was a very strong promoter of PAM and is one of the most active delegations.
Challenges and tensions
In my speech at last week's plenary assembly in Portugal, I drew the attention of parliamentarians to the reality of a European region faced with the economic crisis of the past years. Together with political instability in Africa and the Middle East, this has created migratory challenges and increased terrorist threats and a perceived sense of disillusion in the project of a united Europe. We are experiencing a resurgence of violent right-wing parties, xenophobic attacks and tensions between communities of different religious beliefs.
As parliamentarians, we have an important role of acting as a medium between the people and the legislative arm of the country, and as parliamentary diplomats when participating and actively contributing to regional and international organisations. Furthermore, we need to ensure that our political discourse, everyday actions and legislative bills enacted in our respective Parliaments are of a non-discriminatory nature and promote the full respect for diversity of opinion or creed.
The European Union, the PAM and all other international or regional organisations are fully aware of current challenges that directly or indirectly affect all countries. Global threats necessitate global response, which can only be effective through the input and support of individual states. The current violent extremism, exported from outside the region, but also germinating in Mediterranean and European communities, constitutes a major and substantial challenge for the region.
A global and regional task
Migration and border control continue to be the leading challenges for Mediterranean and European states alike. To address the current crisis and ensure that present policy is cognisant of the long-term effects and shifts in the region, it is important to recognise that migration is a global challenge requiring global and joint solutions.
The challenge of migration also requires a multi-layered approach, one which promotes tackling root causes at the top of the agenda and injects appropriate political leverage to promote educational, economic and environmental development in struggling and impoverished states. Enhanced dialogue with host and transit countries, ensuring that partners to the dialogue recognise the benefits of a regulated and managed approach is imperative. Discussions also need to take into account that human rights standards are safeguarded irrespective of country of origin, transit or host. Malta is attaching particular importance to the topic of migration during the 2017 Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
It is important to recognise that income distribution inequalities, marginalization of certain groups; particularly young males, and abuse of power by political and religious authorities create the perfect condition for recruitment. Malta reaffirms the importance of dialogue with communities and this was at the basis of the Malta Summit for EU and African leaders in October last year. We all need to identify the underlying elements facilitating the ongoing human trafficking, which is in different ways and levels coming from war zones that lead to international terrorism. As parliamentarians, we have the tools and means to bring about change and ensure that key figures in developing states, but also within our communities, are provided with the necessary support to build resilient societies, capable of warding of extremist infiltration and indoctrination of its young people.
Malta's role
Malta strongly agrees that a multidisciplinary approach is fundamental to stabilize the region, both economically and socially. As a backdrop, political stability and the establishment of a human rights and rule of law regime are fundamental elements for a long-term and sustainable approach. We have repeatedly voiced our concerns in all European and international fora about the increasingly imbalanced economic development and labour activity scenarios between the North and the South, but also between states in the southern sphere. They continue to arrest development, create further social and political divisions, encourage further migration and act as fertile ground for extremist propaganda and recruitment.
Within its own internal scenario, the EU has established the year 2020 as the target when 20 million people should be brought out of poverty and social exclusion. This pledge by EU leaders followed the alarming statistic showing that there were more than 120 million people at risk of poverty or social exclusion in Europe. The continuous influx of thousands of migrants adds significantly to this burden to host or en-route countries.
The informal summit in Malta earlier this year, hosted by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and chaired by European Council President Donald Tusk, basically tackled the issue of measures to stem the flow of irregular migrants from southern Mediterranean shores. In a letter of invitation sent to EU national parliaments, Southern partners and members of the Gulf Cooperation Council on 28 December 2016, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vella said that the Maltese Presidency will be holding informal meetings aimed to ensure a dynamic and open exchange of ideas including all sides. The Minister highlighted that diversity should be a catalyst for dialogue and not for divisions, reaffirming that the time is ripe for regional partners to bolster their relationships and move towards concrete cooperation and remedies.
Addressing delegates at the PAM plenary session in Porto last Thursday, I highlighted these points and reiterated the Labour government's commitment to render Malta's Presidency of the EU Council a useful and historic moment for real economic and social inclusion. Maltese and Gozitans should be proud to know that Malta's voice at such international events is appreciated for our credibility and commitment.