Who is Dr Ian Spiteri Bailey?

I am a 35-year-old lawyer, married with two childen – two daughters aged five and three. I was born and bred in Birkirkara but have been living in Attard since my marriage. I have been practising law for the past 10 years and specialised in employment legislation and industrial relations. Over the past three years, I have furthered my studies in European Union labour law and social policy law.

Do you think your experience in trade unionism will help you in the European Parliament if you are elected?

It undoubtedly will. I decided to run for these elections in June of last year, after I had finalised my studies in EU law and Malta decided it should become a member of the EU. I took stock of my situation and I felt that with the experience gained and the studies I had pursued, I could contribute something to this country. I have also been legal adviser to the Union Haddiema Maghqudin for the past eight years and to several other trade unions in Malta. I know all about the issues that worry Maltese and Gozitan workers, what issues the EU should address where Maltese workers are concerned. I would safeguard what has been achieved by Maltese and Gozitan workers so far and the progress being made in the EU will be reflected in the aims of local politics.

It was reported in the media that you did not take up the appointment of magistrate so that you could contest the EP elections...

That is correct. As I told you earlier, I had made up my mind to run for these elections in June last year and I was offered the post of magistrate the following December. It was not easy for me to renounce that post. I would have been the youngest and the first from my law course. Most lawyers wish to take up that post. I had made up my mind to refuse even though I took a risk, because I was not on the official PN list of candidates. Now that I am, the second risk is that I am not elected. But yet again, I stand by my decision. I hope that at the end of the day, I will say that I made the right decision. But it was definitely not an easy decision to take.

What should the role of a Maltese MEP be in the European Parliament?

I firmly believe that there should be continuous contact between the Maltese MEPs and the population at large. There should be continuous dialogue with the people themselves and with the constituted bodies which represent the interests of the people in particular sectors. So the MEP must make sure that Malta’s voice is actually heard in this institution and for that voice to be a strong one, a true one and a committed one. That is why I believe in establishing a continuous contact and dialogue. The role of the Maltese MEP will be like any other MEP – safeguarding the country’s interests in this European institution and enhancing the work of the EU which should prove beneficial for Malta and its people. Malta will certainly face challenges, particularly in the beginning, so the Maltese MEP has to work very hard to make sure the challenges are overcome and grasp the opportunities that exist in the EU, because the opportunities outweigh the challenges .

What are those particular areas or issues which you would like to work in if you are elected to the EP?

The committee which interests me most is the one for employment and social policy affairs because of my recent studies and my work of the past 10 years in those sectors, I believe that I can really contribute to that committee. Moreover, the European People’s Party (EPP) is pressing hard for the creation of a committee for small and medium enterprises. That is also something which I am very much interested in because I appreciate that the vast majority of workers, even here in Malta and Gozo, are actually employed with small and medium enterprises. If SMEs are strengthened, particularly here in Malta, workers will benefit as well. I am also very much interested in sports. Unfortunately, sports is only part of the EU’s educational programmes. Sport should be addressed as an issue on its own which can actually work in the education programmes. I will do my best to see that sports is given the importance it deserves.

Are you willing to work with other Maltese MEPs from the Labour Party, and possibly Alternattiva, on issues of common national interest?

Definitely. If we had to observe what actually happens when national parliamentary delegations take part in the Council of Europe, and how observer members to the EP worked throughout the past year, I think it is a mirror which should actually help and guide us in the future. I am very willing to work with representatives of any other party elected to the EP, especially when there are common issues which will benefit all our country. My prime concern is making a success of Malta’s accession to the EU. The roads leading to that success might not be the same, but the end result should be that of obtaining benefits for our country.