The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) expressed their satisfaction at the importance Maltese Government gives to social dialogue, and the close communication it holds with the civil society, including throughout this Covid-19 pandemic.
The delegation met with Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister Carmelo Abela to discuss external aid, investment and trade as instruments for economic growth and to reach the 2030 United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Both parties agreed on the importance that the European continent should give to the African continent especially from a trade perspective. “The economic growth that will come from Africa will not come from Europe. This is a win-win situation for both parties”, emphasised Minister Abela.
In his comments, Minister Abela recapitulated that Malta values Africa’s potential in trade and commerce and in effect, under his remit as foreign and trade minister in the first part of January 2020, Malta has successfully been the second European Union member launching a strategy of partnership with Africa on trade, development and diplomacy, preceding the European Union’s own strategy.
Minister Abela said that the message is clear – Africa does not simply want aid. It wants trade, development and growth, more business-to-business contact and the sharing of skills and knowledge. He added that what the Africans need to see from us Europeans is good will and focus to invest in the young African generation; to equip them with skills, jobs and opportunities in their own homeland. “We should as Europeans have a positive approach and focus on partnership with Africa as equals. This is the best way to tackle the issue of migration. Civil society is an important part of this”, said Minister Abela.
As the minister responsible also for social dialogue, Carmelo Abela highlighted the importance that government allocates to social dialogue, including throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, where this collaboration assisted government to shape its financial assistance, according to the needs of different sectors of society.
Referring to the work of the Department of Industrial and Employment relations, Minister Abela noted how thanks to the department’s intervention, more than 25,000 employment were saved. He said that the role of the department was to facilitate agreement between the employers and employees, which yielded encouraging results. He also spoke of how Malta is an open economy depending on tourism, and at this time, it is vital for the country to instil confidence in tourists to enable them to visit the country.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is an EU advisory body comprising representatives of workers’ and employers’ organisations and other interest groups. It issues opinions on EU issues to the European Commission, the Council of the EU and the European Parliament, thus acting as a bridge between the EU’s decision-making institutions and EU citizens.
Photo: MSD
