Il-Konferenza dwar il-Futur tal-Ewropa għandu jkollha l-għan li tagħmel l-UE aktar reattiva għaċ-ċittadini – Alfred Sant

Alfred Sant saħaq li l-UE għandha twieġeb għall-bżonnijiet taċ-ċittadini tagħha meta l-aktar ikollhom bżonnha, f’termini ta’ saħħa pubblika din id-darba, iżda importanti wkoll f’emerġenzi li jinvolvu edukazzjoni fuq skala Ewropea, ambjent u protezzjoni soċjali.

L-intervent sar waqt il-Kumitat għall-Petizzjonijiet tal-Parlament Ewropew wara preżentazzjoni minn membru tal-Qorti Ewropea tal-Awdituri s-Sinjura Joëlle Elvinger dwar analiżi tar-risposta inizjali tal-UE għall-pandemija Covid-19 li tkopri l-ewwel nofs tal-2020.

Alfred Sant irrefera għall-isfidi ffaċċjati mill-UE fl-appoġġ u l-koordinazzjoni tal-isforzi tal-istati membri fil-ġlieda kontra l-Covid-19 waqt li nnota li l-analiżi, anke jekk preliminari, għandha tintuża biex jittieħdu l-lezzjonijiet mill-iżbalji li saru fl-istadji bikrija tal-pandemija kif ukoll aktar tard.

“Ir-retorika tagħna hija dik li, magħqudin bħala Ewropa, għandna ċans aħjar li nsolvu problemi li jittraxxendu l-fruntieri. Sfortunatament, dan ma kienx imsaħħah minn kif il-pandemija Covid-19 ġiet ittrattata ”, qal Alfred Sant.

“L-UE jista’ jkollha rwol utli f’tali emerġenza biss jekk ikun hemm rieda politika ċara kondiviża mill-istati membri kollha jew mill-biċċa l-kbira tagħhom u jekk jeżistu strutturi amministrattivi, diplomatiċi, xjentifiċi, regolatorji u kummerċjali li jafu lil xulxin, jafdaw lil xulxin u jittrattaw faċilment ma’ xulxin.”

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Conference on the Future of Europe should aim to bring EU closer to citizens – Alfred Sant

The Conference on the Future of Europe should aim to reflect politically how, given the Covid-19 experience, we could improve the way by which Europe functions to make it more clearly responsive to the needs of its citizens, Alfred Sant said in the European Parliament. 

Alfred Sant stressed that the EU should respond to the needs of its citizens when they most need it, in terms of public health this time round, but just as importantly in emergencies that involve education on a European scale, environment and social protection.

The intervention was made during the Petitions Committee of the European Parliament after a presentation by a member of the European Court of Auditors Ms Joëlle Elvinger about a review on the EU’s initial response to the Covid-19 pandemic covering the first half of 2020.

Alfred Sant referred to the challenges faced by the EU in supporting and coordinating the efforts of member states in the fight against COVID-19 noting that the review, even if preliminary, should be used to draw the lessons from mistakes made in the early stages of the pandemic as well as later.

“Our rhetoric is that united as Europe, we stand a better chance of solving problems that cut across frontiers. Unfortunately, that claim was not reinforced by how the covid-19 pandemic has been dealt with”, Alfred Sant said.

“The EU can play a useful role in such emergency only if there is there is a clear political will shared by all or most member states and only if there exist the administrative, diplomatic, scientific, regulatory and commercial structures that know each other, trust each other and deal easily with each other.”