“The European project should not be a project of the institutions of the European Union or of the heads of the member states, but of the people.”
This was the message from Parliamentary Secretary for European Funds Chris Bonett on Europe Day, in an activity organized by European Services in Malta and Europe Direct Valletta, in Misraħ il-Ħelsien il-Belt. This event served to make the public more aware of the benefits and opportunities they have as European citizens.
Europe Day is an important day, reminding us that the European project was set up as a project of unity and peace on the European continent. This year, more than any other year, the theme of peace has become more prominent due to the situation in Ukraine.
Parliamentary Secretary Chris Bonett said that in the last 72 years the European Union has had many successes, but also many challenges, including global challenges such as the pandemic and the invasion of Ukraine.
The Parliamentary Secretary stressed that the European project should be based more on the needs of the people and how their lives can be improved. “As a government, we are committed to ensuring that Malta continues to benefit and seize every opportunity as a member state.”
SEM Head of Communications Joe Sciberras said it was important to bring together on this day the entities that provide services related to benefits, rights and obligations to the citizens of the European Union in our country, including European funds to carry out projects in all areas of life and to promote our quality of life. He stressed that the more we know about the services provided in our country in connection with the European Union, the more we can get the most out of membership in the European Union.
At the end of the event, Parliamentary Secretary Chris Bonett handed out commemorative plaques to the schools that took part in the drawing competition, ‘My Europe, my Malta, my Future’. In the past weeks, students from six secondary schools had the opportunity to visit projects that are being carried out with European funds in our country and took part in this drawing competition.
SEM and Europe Direct Valletta organized this event in collaboration with the Representation of the European Commission and the Office of the European Parliament in Malta, the Strategy and Implementation Division within the Parliamentary Secretariat for European funds and 14 entities that offer in our country services related to the European Union.
