Prime Minister Robert Abela said that changes to Malta’s assisted voluntary euthanasia policy were presented to the Youth Advisory Forum before being brought to Cabinet, reflecting a commitment to greater youth engagement in shaping the country’s legislative direction.

A statement Friday said that this year’s Public Service Expo served as a platform to host another meeting of the Youth Advisory Forum.

The statement said that this marked a departure from the established practice of holding these forum meetings at Castille.

In his address, Abela spoke of his satisfaction with the Forum’s recent work and noted that not only had serious and technical discussions been held on a number of important national topics, driven by the youths themselves, but that these discussions also led to the formulation of national policies on critical matters.

“The discussion we had with you on assisted voluntary euthanasia, as you know, led to amendments being made to the eventual proposal that was to be presented to Cabinet. It was right that these changes were made, and the format we used that day, which was treating the topic before the Youth Advisory Forum even before it went to the Cabinet of Ministers, was the right approach,” Abela said, adding that he looks forward to not only maintaining this format but strengthening it.

The central theme of the meeting was Vision Malta 2050, and Abela said that this too was born out of discussions stressing the need for the country to have forward-looking policies grouped under one comprehensive vision.

“It is a vision of the people, and for it to be the vision of a united country and successive legislators, it must necessarily involve the people’s input. That is why we are here to listen to your views on the subject. I look forward to having an open and honest discussion, as we always do,” Abela said.

Among the topics discussed by the Youth Advisory Forum during this meeting were migration and foreign workers in sectors that already have sufficient workers, the use of renewable energy and rights to solar energy in the construction industry, transport and measures to reduce dependence on private vehicles and increase the use of public transport, land reclamation and public spaces, and tourism and food-related safety.