Forum Malta fl-Ewropa and Fondazzjoni Temi Zammit have launched an EU-funded project called Say EU And... Action!
The €50,000 project is aimed at generating discussion among women and youths. The topics identified so far are immigration, energy, flexibility and job security and research and innovation.
Two focus groups made up of organisations working with women and young people will identify other areas to be discussed. Conferences, workshops and other interactive means will be used to generate the discussion over the next year.
The project is being staged in the framework of Plan D - For Democracy, Dialogue And Debate on the future of the EU. The project is 70 per cent co-funded by the European Commission's DG Communications.
The project will be set up in various stages with the first public working groups and debates set to start in January. This will be followed by two conferences. One will be held in Malta in July and the other in Gozo in August.
An internet portal will include online polls, forums, a multimedia section and FAQs which will be compiled following each working group and debate with answers from European institutions.
A virtual postcard will incorporate the most salient arguments brought up during the working groups and debates through the use of video clips.
The final report and evaluation of this project will be done next September.