Dr Busuttil and Dr Attard Montalto said this during the first informal meeting of Maltese MEPs and representatives to the European institutions, namely the European Parliament, the Regional Committee and the Economic and Social Affairs Committee.

The meeting was held at the Green Committee Room at the Palace in Valletta.

Dr Busuttil said that Malta had a total of 15 representatives in Brussels and Strasbourg, five on each of the above mentioned institutions.

Dr Busuttil said that while this meeting was actually informal, he was looking forward to attending regularly scheduled meetings, maybe even in Brussels. “Our country is limited when it comes to human resources in the European institutions, and we must cooperate and work together as we have done so far,” said Dr Busuttil.

Dr Attard Montalto said that Malta’s MEPs and representatives in Brussels had to snatch opportunities and get the best out of them for the good of both Malta and Gozo. “We need to cooperate and coordinate our efforts. Hopefully we can have meetings every two months or so to establish which direction we want to take and all of us can then follow on that identified route,” said Dr Attard Montalto.

Dr Attard Montalto said that all Maltese involved in Europe needed to get the best possible deals for Malta and Gozo. “That is the most important thing,” he said.

The Maltese representatives on the Social and Economic Affairs Committee are from the Union Haddiema Maghqudin, the General Workers’ Union, the Council of Women, the Federation of Industry and the Malta Employers’ Association – allowing for representation for employers, unions and civil society. The Association of Local Councils is representing Malta and Gozo as a region on the Regions Committee.