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Yes, this time I’m voting

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Yes, this time I'm voting

2019
 What is the European
Parliament?
The European Parliament represents the citizens of the
countries that make up the European Union (EU).

Right now, 751 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs)

represent 515 million European citizens in 28 countries
including the United Kingdom.

If the UK leaves the EU, 450 million European citizens in 27

member states will be represented by 705 MEPs.

European Parliament Liaison Office

28 countries 27 countries
254 St. Paul Street
Valletta VLT 1215
Malta 515 million citizens 450 million citizens

epvalletta@ep.europa.eu
751 Members of 705 Members
+ 356 21 23 50 75 the European of the European
+ 356 21 23 06 61 Parliament Parliament
(with 28 countries) (after Brexit)

European Parliament Office in Malta

EP_Malta

europarlmt.eu
The three main powers of
the European Parliament
The European Parliament has the following three main powers:
Il-poter li jgħaddi l-liġijiet Ewropej.
These are only the main powers of the European Parliament
which performs many other functions, as we shall see in
brief in this leaflet.

But the European Parliament does not legislate all on its

1
own, as in the case of national parliaments. European laws
The power to pass are enacted by the European Parliament and the Council
European laws. of the EU acting together. The Council of the EU represents
the governments of the EU’s member countries.

2
The European Parliament, again, shares this power with
The power to approve all the Council of the EU. The European Parliament supervises
spending by the EU. spending by the EU and it also adopts the annual budget of
the EU.

This is the power of democratic scrutiny. European citizens,

3
through their representatives in the European Parliament,
The power to keep an eye supervise the activities of all organs of the EU, especially the
on all that the EU does. European Commission which is the EU’s executive.
How is the European
Parliament elected?
The European Parliament started being directly elected
by the citizens of the EU’s member countries 40 years ago,
in 1979. Elections are held every five years, spread over
four days between Thursday and Sunday close to the first
weekend of June. In 2019, elections will be held between
the 23rd and the 26th May. Each member country votes on
the weekday it traditionally votes on; in Malta’s case, in 2019,
this is Saturday 25th May.
A member country with a bigger population has more
seats in the European Parliament than one with a smaller
population. But the way the number of seats for each
country is worked out according to the Lisbon Treaty is
designed to be advantageous for smaller countries.
5 25
years
MAY
For example, Germany has the biggest population in the
EU with 83 million people represented by 96 German MEPs.
If this exact proportion were to be applied to all countries,
Malta, with fewer than half a million people, would barely
have one seat. Yet, Malta has six seats in the European
Parliament.
The electoral system used in the election of the European
Parliament must be a proportional representation system,
which means that seats gained by political parties are in
proportion to the votes they get. But each member country
is allowed to use its preferred system to choose its MEPs, as
long as the system is proportional, because there are many
such systems. This is one example of how EU rules aim to
reach a main goal (in this case, a proportional electoral
result) but the detail is then left for each member country
to decide.
 Malta is one of only two
countries where we now
vote at 16
In Malta’s case, we vote for individual candidates in order
of preference; this system is also used in the Republic of
Ireland. Furthermore, for the first time, young people aged
16 and 17 will be able to vote in the European Parliament
election in Malta in 2019.

This was decided by a unanimous vote in the Maltese

Parliament, not in the European Parliament. In fact, Malta
is one of only two countries whose citizens vote at 16; the
other one is Austria, while Greek youths vote at 17. In the
rest of the member states of the EU, the voting age is 18.

The election of the European Parliament revolves around

political parties. Parties in the EU’s member states have
formed political groups that bring together like-minded
parties. There are eight such groups in the European
Parliament in its present term. The biggest two are the
European People’s Party and the Progressive Alliance of
Socialists and Democrats.

Source: European Parliament, Bloomberg Quicktake Graphic

Why should I vote in the
European elections on the
25th May 2019?
To be represented in the decisions and
1 3
initiatives that affect me; that is why I
should vote in the election of the European
Parliament on the 25th May 2019. And these
decisions need to be taken because Malta,
Europe and the world are going through deep
changes and there should be leaders who
prepare for such changes.
As Europeans, we need to respond to trends
that affect us collectively, like migration,
climate change, data privacy, commerce
2 4
and easier travel. These issues cannot be
faced individually by each European country,
because these are phenomena that affect us
Europeans all together and the decisions that
need to be taken about them should also be
taken together as Europeans.
To take good decisions and useful initiatives
for Europe and for Malta, we can’t go to vote
every time on each issue. That’s why we have
parliaments, so that the representatives we
elect make informed and well considered
decisions.
Naturally, our six MEPs will have their different
ideas and opinions on the way the EU should
develop in the next few years and in the longer
term. In the European Parliament, they will be
representing like-minded Maltese Europeans.
So that in Europe too I would have my interests
represented in the decisions and initiatives
taken there yet which affect me here in Malta
too.
Please keep reading for more information
about this.
What constitutes the
European Union?
We often hear about the European Union in the news and it
has become an important factor in our lives since we joined
in 2004. But if you want to go knocking on the EU’s door,
you will not be able to find just one. Because the EU, like its
member countries, has several institutions that together
make up the EU.
The main institutions of the EU and their functions
according to the Lisbon Treaty are the following:
il-Parlament Ewropew li aħna l-Maltin se nivvutaw għalih
fil-25 ta’ Mejju 2019;
the European Parliament represents all European citizens
and we shall elect it for its next term on the 25th May 2019,
the European Council represents the member countries
and is made up of their Heads of Government;
the Council of the EU also represents the member countries
and very often takes decisions together with the European
Parliament – the Council consists of each member country’s
Minister for the sector being discussed,
the European Commission is the central executive of the EU
and it also proposes EU laws to the European Parliament
and the Council,
the Court of Justice of the EU decides legal cases related to
EU law,
the Court of Auditors keeps a sharp eye on all expenditure
by the EU and the accounts of the European budget, and
the European Central Bank is the central bank of the 19
countries – Malta among them – which have adopted the
euro as their currency.
These main EU institutions, together with other
organizations and agencies of the EU, work together and
also with national Parliaments, national Governments and
European citizens.
How does the European
Parliament function?
The European Parliament works mainly through
committees which deal with specific areas and themes;
there are 20 such committees of the European Parliament
and two sub-committees. These committees are made up
of MEPs from different political groups. They examine each
proposal for a new EU law and propose amendments which
are then discussed and voted upon in the plenary session of
the European Parliament where all MEPs meet.
The committees of the European Parliament meet in
Brussels. The plenary sessions are held once every month
for four days in Strasbourg, though some shorter plenary
sessions are held in Brussels too.
The European Parliament
and you
The European Parliament is not some distant institution;
rather, it makes sure it keeps close to the citizens of the
EU’s member countries. The ways the European Parliament
keeps close to you are:
you – on your own or together with others in a company or
association – can lodge petitions to complain or demand
action on anything that’s within the responsibility of the
European Union; these petitions are discussed and action
is taken about them in a committee of the European
Parliament which is set up to hear petitions,
you can contact any MEP to voice your opinion or
aspirations about any action that the EU is taking or that
you think the EU should take, and
you can also contact the Office of the European Parliament
in Malta which is housed at Europe House, St Paul’s Street,
Valletta.
The European Commission
Two other institutions that work in tandem with the
European Parliament are the European Commission and
the Council of the EU. The European Commission performs
most of the executive and administrative work of the EU.
It has around 30,000 employees, based mostly in Brussels.
This sounds like a big number, but to put this figure in
perspective, the Government of the smallest country in the
EU, Malta, employs 45,000 people.
The European Commission makes sure that the EU’s
member countries observe EU law. It puts the EU’s
budget into effect after this is approved by the European
Parliament. The European Commission represents the EU
in the world; for example, it is the European Commission
that leads the negotiations on new treaties the EU signs
with third countries, like free trade agreements.
Each member country’s Government appoints one
Commissioner for five years who is then responsible for
a specific sector. The Maltese Commissioner is Karmenu
Vella who was appointed in 2014 and who is responsible
for the environment, the maritime sector and fisheries.
The President of the European Commission is Jean-Claude
Juncker, the Commissioner from the second smallest
country in the EU, Luxembourg. He was proposed
for this post by the European People’s Party.
The Commissioners together represent the collective
neutrality of the European Commission. In fact, the
European Commission doesn’t work politically; its decisions
are taken collectively with the unanimous support of all
Commissioners.
The Council of the EU
The Council of the EU is the institution representing the
member states' governments. It is where national ministers
from each EU country meet to adopt laws and coordinate
policies: for example, the Ministers for Transport when the
Council is discussing European initiatives that have to do
with transport.
The Council of the EU decides, with the European
Parliament, on European law, as we shall see in the next
section. When they vote in the Council, member countries’
Ministers do not vote by simple majority but by a qualified
majority.
This means that on most matters, for the Council to approve
a decision, this has to have in its favour at least 55 % of
the Ministers in the Council coming from member states
having at least 65 % of the EU’s population; and if just four
member countries disagree with the decision, it is not
approved. Furthermore, on sensitive matters – such as
foreign and security policy, or justice and home
affairs – the vote in the Council of the EU has to be
unanimous.
How the European
Parliament, the Commission
and the Council enact laws
together
The initiative rests with the Commission
In the EU, the initiative to pass new laws rests with the
European Commission. The Commission makes all the
preparations about new laws, has talks with members
states’ Governments, experts in the matter, industry and
trade union leaders to draft laws that reflect diverse sectors’
points of view.
Parliament and Council then decide together
After it is drafted by the Commission, the proposed
law is presented in the European Parliament and in
the Council. These two institutions have to both agree
with the legislation to become law. They can also lodge
amendments to the proposed law. If they do so, they follow
a particular procedure to arrive at a final decision on the
proposed law as amended.
National Parliaments have a role…
In the process to enact EU laws, national parliaments too
have a role. They can send the EU their opinion if they feel
that a proposal for an EU law goes against the principle of
subsidiarity, that is, the principle that the EU cannot decide
All rights and duties that bring together member countries
in the EU emerge from European treaties and laws as
interpreted by the Court of Justice of the EU and as further
explained in decisions and declarations by the EU. The three
main institutions of the EU work together to take legislative
decisions. The way these three institutions work in tandem
to enact EU law cannot be compared to the way laws are
enacted in nation states.
on matters that are not within its responsibility, as we shall
see further on. If a third of national parliaments send such
an opinion, the proposed law will have to be reviewed.
…as do European citizens through their initiative…
The Lisbon Treaty introduced yet another means of
European citizens’ participation when the EU is enacting
laws. This is the citizens’ initiative: a million European
citizens from at least a quarter of EU member states (seven
at present) can ask the European Commission to propose a
law on a matter that falls within its responsibility. Signatures
for such an initiative will have to be collected within
12 months and the European Commission will then have to
act within three months.
…for wide consensus
The way EU institutions work together to enact laws
means that there needs to be wide agreement for such
laws to take effect. Consensus is needed between the
institution that directly represents European citizens
and the institution that represents member countries’
Governments, together with national parliaments and
European citizens directly through their initiative.
The European Council
The European Council is the EU institution that defines the
general political direction and priorities of the European
Union. It consists of the heads of state or government of
the member states, together with its President and the
President of the Commission.
This institution usually features in the news when the
Heads of Government of all EU member countries meet
in the European summit every three months. Sometimes,
there are also extraordinary summits, for example on
immigration.
The European Council has nothing to do with the Council of
Europe which we hear about on occasion and which is an
altogether different organisation from the EU.
What member countries do
together by means of the EU
When a country joins the EU, it will have freely decided that
it was going to act on certain sectors in partnership with
other countries in the EU, rather than on its own, so that
decisions in those sectors will bind and be enacted in all EU
member states and thus be more effective.
Therefore, there are matters where decisions rest only with
EU institutions representing, as they do, European citizens
and member countries in Parliament and Council, with the
influence member states have on the Commission and the
need for wide consensus on every proposal.
The matters upon which member states act together
through the EU are those where it is necessary that all
member states have the same rules, especially if they are to
freely trade between them in the single European market.
Thus, the EU acts on its own in these matters:
trade policy,
customs duties on products coming from third countries,
competition rules in the single European market,
monetary policy in the 19 countries that have adopted the euro,
rules on the protection of the maritime environment, and
international treaties entered into by the EU as a whole.
What each member state Otherwise, member states
does in conjunction with act on their own
the EU
There are other sectors where member states can act on In all other matters, member states act on their own.
their own if the EU has not acted upon them. In these This is due to the fact that any matter not mentioned in
matters, member states share responsibility with the EU. the treaties which set up the EU remains reserved for
These sectors are: each member state. For example, minimum wages, all
taxes except VAT, abortion, education and culture, health,
the environment, tourism, civil protection, industry and small and medium-
consumer protection, sized enterprises are among the many sectors over which
transport, the EU has no responsibility and on which decisions are
energy, taken solely by each member state.
agriculture and fisheries,
the internal market within the EU,
economic, social and territorial cohesion,
freedom, security and justice,
some aspects of social policy,
certain matters in health care,
research and development, and
cooperation and humanitarian aid.
My voice at every level
where decisions are taken
which affect me
As we have seen, I am represented and my voice is heard
at every level where decisions are taken which affect me.
In general elections, I have a vote to choose politicians
who then decide on matters that interest my country and
who also appoint Ministers and the Commissioner who
represent Malta in the European Council and the European
Commission. Then, in European elections, I have a vote to
choose the MEPs who will represent me in the European
Parliament and who will take decisions and initiatives in my
name according to the powers the European Parliament
enjoys in the EU.
EU investment in Malta and
in Maltese young people
EU membership means that Malta has already enjoyed the
benefits of EU funds invested here to the tune of €2,500
million. The EU has invested in Malta in important sectors
like jobs, the environment, health, transport and culture.
The following are just a sample of the many projects that
we can witness all around us thanks to EU funds. In many
of these projects, the EU pays for 85 % of all costs while the
Maltese Government shows its commitment by paying
for the remaining 15 %. EU investment in these projects is
approved by the European Parliament through one of its
three main powers.
Jobs for the future
The EU has invested €15 million in the
Malta Life Sciences Park, close to Mater
Dei Hospital. The benefit is that Malta
has attracted 30 companies in the
pharmaceutical and medical technology
sector. These companies are providing
modern jobs to Maltese workers, many of
them young people, who are developing
the medical care of the future.
Work for Gozitans in Gozo
The EU is investing €10 million euro to further develop the
Xewkija Industrial Park in Gozo. An area in the Park is now
being transformed into a modern space for 15 industrial
enterprises. Thus, through EU membership and funds, work
is being created for Gozitans in Gozo, their own region.
Huge investment in the Erasmus
programme
By means of the Erasmus programme,
the EU is creating a European zone of
higher education. This gives European
students an educational experience
in another European country while
such an experience counts towards
their number of credits in their home
educational institution. The EU is
substantially increasing its investment
in the Erasmus programme.
e-Services for all
Online services given by the Government in Malta are being
financed by the EU through a programme investing €33
million in services such as e-learning for students as well as
parents, administrators and educators.
Valletta 2018
Valletta 2018 is an example of the
EU’s initiatives and investment in
culture and European heritage.
The EU has invested €17 million
in Valletta 2018 to pay for many
activities, artists, authors,
designers, musical groups,
dancers and restoration projects
including the National Museum
of Art, Muża.
Big road and flyover projects
Main road projects in Malta are being financed by the EU.
Among these, one can mention the Kappara flyover with an
investment of €33 million from the EU as well as the Coast
Road, many roads in Gozo, the tunnel in December 13th
Road and the flyovers project in Marsa.
Discover Europe
Through its DiscoverEU
programme, the EU gives 15,000
young Europeans a free Interrail
ticket in summer so that they can
travel around Europe by train,
enter into exchanges with other
European youths, learn from
other cultures and thus directly
experience the practical factors
that unite Europeans.
The environment: from rubbish to a
resource
An investment of €16 million by the EU
has turned what used to be waste hills
ruining the environment, land, air and
water table at Magħtab, Marsaskala and
Qortin in Gozo into new zones that can
be enjoyed by the public while turning
waste into a resource by recycling it.
The Ċirkewwa Terminal
The EU substantially invests in ports because they are the
gates to its member countries and their regions. The EU
has invested €9 million to build the new Ċirkewwa terminal
which is energy-efficient and facilitates transport, a crucial
factor for Gozo, being, as it is, an island within an island.
Health services close to home
While public health is a matter that is
generally the responsibility of individual
member countries, the EU helps its
regions offer health services that are
closer to their residents. Thus, the EU
has invested €3 million in new health
technologies in the Gozo General
Hospital so that it can offer new and
better health services while following, in
Gozo itself, Gozitans who have passed
through emergency health services.
Your health when you travel
Through its EHIC, the European Health Insurance Card,
the EU pays for emergency health services if you need
them when you are travelling. This achieves the EU’s goal
of making travel and transport easier and safer with free
emergency services in public hospitals and clinics anywhere
in Europe.
Equality in sport
The EU’s general aim of democracy
and freedom includes the goal of
equality in all sectors. An investment
of €60,000 through the EU’s
Erasmus+ Sports programme has
helped Għajnsielem Redcoats
participate in the EU’s ‘Inclusion and
Gender Equality Through Softball’
(IGETS) project. Three softball teams
from Gozo, the Netherlands and
Croatia took part in this project
and worked together to increase
women’s participation in sport. www.thistimeimvoting.eu

On Saturday 25th May 2019, we are called to choose MEPs

who take significant decisions that affect our way of life and
Restoration and rehabilitation of we thus should have a voice in these decisions through our
historic buildings representatives. In 2019 young people aged 16 and 17 are
Among the many projects to restore also called to vote for the first time.
historic buildings, bastions and
fortifications, the EU has financed the
Ċittadella masterplan. An investment
of €15 million in several projects has
turned the Ċittadella, an old city
fortified against sieges, into a modern
and accessible attraction.
To achieve more in Europe
My voice in the European Parliament
counts to achieve more in the EU.
Because
when we drive through new roads and
flyovers financed by the EU,
when we learn in schools, colleges and
the University which have benefited
greatly from EU investment,
when we enjoy European standards in
environmental protection and health,
when we benefit from so many
cultural initiatives paid for by the EU,
when we travel freely without
barriers in Europe,
when we have in our pockets an
international currency like 18 other
EU member states,
when we can study or work
wherever we want in Europe,
it is in our interest to have a voice in
decision making through our six European
Deputies elected by us Maltese and
Gozitans on the 25th May 2019.
Your achievements by means of the EU
The EU has overcome many challenges.
It has achieved peace in our times in
Europe after long centuries of war. It
has achieved open commerce; you can
buy or sell freely not only in your own
country but also in a European market of
hundreds of millions of consumers. The
EU has set up a common educational and
training zone where you can hone your
skills which can bear fruit for you in all EU
member countries. The EU has achieved
high standards in the environment,
transport, health, food, air and sea quality,
and in many other sectors.
However, many Europeans seem to
be taking the EU for granted and are
thus letting other voices be heard
in the European Parliament; voices
who don’t care for a European future;
voices who would rather undo what
the EU has achieved throughout its
history. Voices who want to overturn
what the EU has achieved for young
people, for workers, for students, for
the elderly, for future generations, for
those who suffer from discrimination,
from pollution, from diseases we can
easily prevent.
 www.thistimeimvoting.eu
Now, the EU is looking ahead so that Europe can
...in order to have my voice heard
thistimeimvoting.eu is a campaign to get more Europeans
to vote in the European elections of 2019.
What kind of Europe do students want?
What kind of Europe do workers want?
What kind of Europe do young people want?
What kind of Europe should we fashion if we want to
have a better standard of living?
What kind of Europe should we build in sectors in
which we are particularly interested?
The European Parliament too needs to
answer these questions, so that from the
achievements of its past, the EU goes on
to achieve even more in future.
...in Europe of the future
develop sustainably and build a most competitive
economy which can support and enhance social and
environmental progress,
provide cutting-edge jobs that benefit from the
technologies of the future,
boost research and the advancement of science and
technology,
enjoy the benefits of education and training so that young
people and workers attain the skills for quality jobs,
strengthen the euro which guarantees strong growth
and shared wealth,
improve standards in quality of life, health and the
environment,
make Europe more secure and a zone of liberty where
we can travel freely and safely,
protect and upgrade our continent’s rich cultural
heritage so that all Europeans can enjoy it,
enhance inclusion so that no one is left behind,
increase and intensify programmes of solidarity
between all member states so that all can feel
supported, and
foster increased cooperation with all other countries in
the world, especially neighbouring ones, so that Europe
enjoys peace in its neighbourhood.
I want to have a voice in all this through my representatives
in the Euopean Parliament. This is why this time I’m voting.

Go to www.thistimeimvoting.eu where you can find

information about what you can do so that we can together
build the European Union you deserve.