Proposals on the environment, irregular immigration, job security and integration were presented to Malta’s members of the European Parliament by representatives of over 450 students from 24 schools in Malta and Gozo yesterday.
Europe Day, on 9 May, is celebrated to mark the anniversary of Robert Schuman’s presentation of his proposal for an organised Europe as an indispensable tool for the maintenance of peace in the continent.
Forum Malta fl-Ewropa organised a conference at the Mediterranean Conference Centre yesterday on the theme “Europe: How we want it to be”. Students gave their views on how they would like Europe to be.
Austrian Ambassador Elisabeth Kehrer, whose country currently has the presidency of the EU, Foreign Affairs Minister Michael Frendo, and Joanna Drake, head of the EC Representation in Malta, a number of MEPs participated in the conference.
The majority of the schools called for the EU to focus on the environment and pointed out that unless it is taken care of, it will soon disappear.
One school pushed for protection of endemic species and asked for more EU subsidies to develop alternative energy sources.
One school suggested education as a possible solution to the problem of irregular immigration.
“If the EU provides education to developing countries, the immigrants will not feel the need to come to Europe to find a job,” said a young girl.
Safer transport in the EU, gender equality in the workplace and better working conditions for families were other issues brought up.
“The EU is not something static and it is our duty and right to be part of that exchange. It is built by everyone and even you are part of the process,” said Dr Frendo in his address.
A young boy with a hearing impairment suggested using sign language as an integral part of school examinations.
Another student with special needs stressed that people with special needs needed to included more in the community.
Malta is an integral part of the EU – its politics and its culture, said Dr Frendo.
The aim of the seminar was to help students become more informed about the EU and to give them an opportunity to express their views on EU affairs.It is very important that you took the Maltese reality into consideration and put it together within a European perspective,” said Dr Drake.