Member of Parliament Jason Azzopardi, who is chairing the committee, which falls under the Foreign Affairs Committee, said the aim of the committee was to study the proposed directives and the impact these would have on the local legislation if they were to be introduced. Once the vetting stage is over, a report would then be prepared for the minister under whose jurisdiction the directive falls for it to be debated at the Council of Ministers.
In a presentation to the parliamentary Social Affairs Committee, Dr Azzopardi explained how the committee he chairs operates. He explained that the committee is split up into three working group or sub-committees. He said that when the EU issues a draft directive, and sends it to the respective ministry, the ministry would, within 21 days from receipt, send the draft directive to the Scrutiny Committee.
Dr Azzopardi said that the committee has already employed two research analysts and the process to choose another three is under way. Their job, he explained, was to report back to the committee on the draft directives, explaining what it consisted of and whether it will have an impact on the country’s legislation.
He said this proposed directive and the relevant brief prepared by the research analyst will also be vetted by the primary working group within the committee. This working group, composed of Labour MPs George Vella and Leo Brincat and Nationalist Party MPs Michael Gonzi and Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, also known as the Filtering and Allocation committee, will also hear what the minister and his experts have to say on the matter.
If the proposed document needs further discussion, it will be channelled to other sub-committees within the Scrutiny Committee. One group, chaired by PN MP Michael Gonzi, is composed of Labour MPs Leo Brincat and Charles Mangion and PN MP Robert Arrigo.
The other sub-committee, chaired by Dr Pullicino Orlando, is composed of Dr Vella, Labour MP Joe Abela and PN MP Joseph Falzon.
The primary committee will then send its recommendations to the minister concerned and also table a copy of these recommendations in parliament.
Dr Azzopardi said the process should not take longer than six weeks from when the proposed directive was released by the EU.
Dr Azzopardi also spoke about the extensive assistance received from the British House of Commons, whose experts are teaching the Maltese research analysts how to scrutinise the proposed directives.
To this effect, the British government has invited all five Maltese analysts for a stage with British analysts to see for themselves how the work is done.
When asked, Dr Azzopardi said that if the Maltese government did not agree with the proposed directives, then the relevant minister would say so in his intervention at the Council of Ministers.
Dr Azzopardi also said that the government and opposition have agreed that the five Maltese Members of the European Parliament are to be invited as observers on the Maltese parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee.