The European Movement

The European Movement was formed soon after the Congress of Europe, which met at The Hague on May 5, 1948. The Congress had been called in the wake of Winston Churchill`s passionate appeal launched at the University of Zurich in Switzerland in 1946 for the creation of a "United States of Europe".

National councils of the European movement were subsequently set up in various European countries to work for European unity. Several prominent Europeans joined the movement.

The first concrete achievements of the European Movement were the creation of the Council of Europe in May 1949, the College of Europe in Bruges and the European Centre for Culture in Geneva.

An affiliate of the European Movement was established in Malta on December 11, 1965, by Chev. Anthony M. Callus and Ms Rebecca Scicluna-Briffa. At 85, Ms Scicluna Briffa is still active in the movement and regularly attends the executive committee. She is the movement`s honorary life president.

Ms Scicluna Briffa recalls how the idea to set up the movement in Malta came to Mr Callus and herself while they were returning to Malta from a meeting of the European Movement, held in Cannes.

At the time Mr Callus and Ms Scicluna Briffa were very active in the Malta Civil Service Association, a trade union. Indeed, in its early days, the European Movement in Malta, then known as the Malta Council of the European Movement, was very close to this trade union.

Mr Callus served as chairman of the Maltese affiliate until he passed away and was succeeded by Mr Peter Cassar Torregiani during an extraordinary general meeting held at the Osborne Hotel, Valletta, on the February 5, 1982.

Mr Cassar Torreggiani was succeeded as chairman by Dr Roderick Pace in 1997, who still occupies the post. Mr Cassar Torreggiani serves on the executive committee as an honorary life member together with two other long-standing members, Mr Alfonse Farrugia and Mr Angelo Bezzina Wettinger

Main mission

While still in its formative stage, the European Movement (Malta) declared that "Malta`s accession to the Treaty of Rome will widen the road leading towards improvement in social and economic progress; this will also stabilise our position in the world`s overall development."

In 1977, the European Movement declared that "Malta`s application for full membership of the European Community is considered to be most opportune at this particular stage in order to enhance the basis of its role within the Mediterranean and in other parts of the world after 1979".

Throughout its history, the European Movement (Malta) has encouraged successive governments to develop closer relations with the European Union. When Malta suspended the membership application between 1996 and 1998, the movement supported the policy pursued by the government of the day aiming at achieving closer relations with the Union based on a free trade agreement while at the same time emphasising that Malta stood to gain more from membership.

In the Seventies, the European Movement (Malta) campaigned strongly so that Maltese citizens will begin to enjoy the right of individual petition to the Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. Alas, this only materialised in 1986, or 21 years after Malta had joined the Council of Europe.

Everyone is welcome

The European Movement welcomes members of all political hues. The current president of the International Movement, whose secretariat is based in Brussels, is Mr Gil Robles. He was preceded in the post by Mario Soares, a former Portuguese socialist president, who in turn had succeeded former French President Valery Giscard D`Estaing of the centre-right.

The European Movement (Malta) welcomes members from all political parties and movements, provided they believe in its aims, want to work for European unity and wish to see Malta join the EU.

Not an act of faith, an act of reason

Reason has led us to conclude that states are better off when they co-operate rather than compete against one another. We believe that Malta secures untold advantages from Europe`s stability.

The EU is also an essential factor of stability in the turbulent Mediterranean region. Malta needs to participate fully in the EU so as to increase its influence both in the Union as well as in the Mediterranean region with which its security and welfare are so intertwined.

Joining the EU is not for us "an act of faith" but more of "an act of reason". It has to do with how we wish to position Malta so it can sustain its economic progress in a secure environment for the good of its citizens.

We cherish European values. The major ones for us are the respect for the individual, democracy and the rule of law, subsidiarity or the taking of decisions as close as possible to the citizens, and solidarity not only among Europeans but with all the peoples of the world.

Europe Day celebration

This year the European Movement (Malta) commemorates "Europe Day" on Tuesday (May 7) with the traditional reception at the Osborne Hotel, Valletta, under the patronage of President Guido de Marco.

Europe Day is celebrated by the EU on May 9, for it was on that day that French minister Robert Schuman issued his famous declaration in 1950, in which he made what must have appeared then to be an impossible if not mad proposal of reconciling France and Germany as the first step towards European union.

May 5 is also dear to the European Movement (Malta) for it is on that day in 1949 that the first concrete result of the European Movement came to life, namely the Council of Europe of which Malta became a member in 1965.

The European Movement (Malta) has celebrated Europe Day annually since 1965. Many distinguished guests and ambassadors as well as the movement`s members are expected to attend next Tuesday`s event.

Essay competition

With the support of the Delegation of the European Communities in Malta, the European Movement (Malta) is organising an essay competition for young people aged 16 to 20. Participants are being asked to write about "A Young View of the Future of Europe".

The deadline for submissions is June 14. Additional details are available from the European Movement (Malta). Requests for further information should be addressed to the secretary general, European Movement (Malta), PO Box 131, Valletta CMR 01.

Participants should give their view on how they see Europe evolving over the next 10 years. In judging the essays, particular attention will be given to the originality of content and ideas put forward and to the style of writing.

Participants cannot submit more than one entry each in four copies. The length of the essay must be between 1,500 and 2,000 words. It must be written in English since this is part of a Europe-wide competition.

The winning essays will be presented as part of a project of the International European Movement to the European Convention on the Future of Europe. The panel of judges will be made public on the announcement of the competition winners.

Lm125 and a year`s subscription of European Voice will be awarded to the winner. Second prize is Lm75 and a year`s subscription.

Support the European Movement (Malta)?

The European Movement (Malta) will be 37 years old in December. It has survived because it has been consistent in its message and because it has constantly urged the need of dialogue and consensus on this delicate issue of Malta`s future relations with the EU.

But most of all the European Movement (Malta) has survived because throughout these years a number of Maltese citizens have voluntarily given some of their time to the movement. Others have been generous to it by sponsoring and supporting its activities.

Those interested in supporting the European Movement (Malta) or who would like to know more about it are kindly asked to write to us at PO Box 131, Valletta CMR 01, or visit their Website at euro-movement.org.mt and contact us from there by e-mail.