Following the establishment of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean last year in Amman, the three standing committees established by the assembly met for the first time in Geneva over three days this week. The committees met in preparation for the second session of the assembly to be held in Malta later this year.
In Geneva, the Malta Parliamentary Delegation was made up of members of the two sides of the House of Representatives: Michael Gonzi, George Vella, Joe Mizzi, Joe Cassar, Justyne Caruana and Ambassador Alfred A. Zarb.
Dr Gonzi represented Malta in the first committee dealing with political and security-related cooperation. Dr Vella, who was earlier nominated as rapporteur of the committee, submitted a report and a draft resolution on the main theme of the meeting entitled: Regional Issues – the Middle East.
Dr Cassar and Mr Mizzi participated in the second committee on economic, social and environmental cooperation. The committee examined a paper entitled Managing Migratory Flows and Co-Development in the Mediterranean Region in a Mutually Beneficial Manner.
Mrs Caruana, who participated in the third committee dealing with Dialogue among Civilisations and Human Rights, chaired the drafting group on the main item dealing with The Role of Parliaments in Fostering the Dissemination of Knowledge about the Major Civilisations and Religions of the Mediterranean Basin and the Promotion of Dialogue between Them.
In Geneva, Dr Gonzi and Dr Vella briefed the Bureau of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean on the preparations underway for the setting up of the executive secretariat that will be housed in Palazzo Spinola. Views were exchanged on a draft agreement that will determine the legal personality, presence, independence and activity of the secretariat in Malta.
In the course of the meeting the Bureau confirmed the nomination of Dr Sergio Piazzi as designate executive
secretary of the Assembly. Dr Piazzi also met with the members of the Maltese delegation. He plans to visit Malta in a short while to carry out further discussions on both the establishment of the secretariat and the holding of the second meeting of the Assembly in Malta.