Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Ian Borg, addressed the Standing Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), which met in Valletta on Friday morning, a few days after Malta assumed the Presidency of the Council of Europe.
The PACE Standing Committee is a core group of parliamentarians acting on behalf of the Assembly between its plenary sessions. Friday’s meeting in Malta brought together the President and Vice-Presidents of the Assembly, and the chairpersons of the parliamentary delegations from the Council’s 46 member states, as well as the chairs of its nine committees and five political groups.
Addressing the Standing Committee in his capacity as the President of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Dr Borg noted that Malta is taking on the Presidency in challenging times, as Europe faces growing pressure on multilateralism, and a declining confidence in the power of diplomacy to resolve complex global challenges. He explained that, as disinformation continues to spread, Europe’s principal values – human rights, democracy, and the rule of law – are increasingly under pressure from external and internal forces.
This situation, he said, reaffirms the significance of Malta’s enduring commitment to multilateralism. “The principles of dialogue and mutual respect, which have long underpinned Malta’s foreign policy, are needed now more than ever. Not just within the Council of Europe, but with each other as member states, and with other countries and international organisations,” Dr Borg stated.
He explained that the ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine, on European soil, reconfirms the erosion of principles witnessed in recent years. “And that is why Malta’s Presidency will continue to keep Ukraine high on its agenda, actively supporting efforts towards achieving a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace.”
Dr Borg also outlined the priorities of Malta’s Presidency, including the promotion of human rights, freedom of information, the fight against disinformation, youth empowerment, combating violence and discrimination, and the protection of children.
“From the horrors of war to the quiet suffering of sexual violence, exploitation, and displacement, children bear the heaviest burdens of the crises they did not create,” Dr Borg said, as he affirmed that “protecting them is a legal obligation, a political responsibility and most of all, a moral imperative.”
Friday’s meeting was also addressed by Anġlu Farrugia, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Malta. On the margins of the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Borg also met with Theodoros Roussopoulos, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Photo(DOI/ODPM-MFT)
