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Malta’s MEPs have had their representative power somewhat curtailed as their presence on the all-important parliamentary committees has been limited to just nine committees, out of a total of 20.
MaltaToday is informed that despite applying for their preferred committee placings, Malta’s MEPs were allotted their seating in the committees by their political groups. The overlapping of the MEPs serving on the same committees is now restricting the opportunity to have all five MEPs covering as many as possible of the twenty committees.
Both Simon Busuttil and Louis Grech are serving on the budget committee and the regional committee, whilst David Casa and Joseph Muscat will both be present on the committee for economic and monetary affairs. An opportunity to have the four MEPs each serving on entirely different committees would have given Malta a presence on more than half of the EP’s committees.
It was however previously believed that Malta’s MEPs would have free rein over the committees they would be serving on, in a bid to cover as many of the parliamentary organs as possible in order to have Malta’s voice present in the important decision-making bodies. In the run-up to the EP election the candidates which today have been elected to the parliament, freely surmised on their preferred committees and on the opportunity of casting a wide net as possible on the EP committees.
The European Parliament committees are the organs in which legislation is discussed before going to a vote in the parliament and appointing rapporteurs to conduct studies on various subjects to be discussed by the parliament.
Whilst John Attard Montalto, former Industry Minister between 1996 and 1998, was awarded the prestigious position of vice-chairman on the committee on industry, research and energy for the second term, it was evident in comments given to The Times that the MEPs were disappointed at their allocation of committees. Attard Montalto talked of “serious haggling and horse-trading” to make one’s influence felt in the European Parliament.
With the allocation of the Maltese MEPs on the committees, Malta’s voice has been left out of important committees such as employment and social affairs, regional development, and the civil liberties, justice and home affairs committee.
Malta’s MEPs and their committees
Simon Busuttil (PN-PPE) - Budget committee; substitute on regional policy and budgetary control committees.
David Casa (PN-PPE) - Economic and monetary affairs committee and fisheries committee; substitute on environment committee.
John Attard Montalto (MLP-PES) - Industry, research and energy committee (Vice-chairman for second half of the term); substitute on transport and tourism committee.
Louis Grech (MLP-PES) - Budget committee; substitute on regional committee; (Vice-chairman of the EP delegation to the Korean peninsula).
Joseph Muscat (MLP-PES) - Economic and monetary affairs; substitute internal market and consumer affairs committee;
(Vice-chairman of the EP delegation to Belarus).
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