Alternattiva Demokratika has promised in its electoral manifesto for the European Parliament elections to promote divorce legislation in Malta and the recognition of registered partnerships, including same-sex partners.
The manifesto was approved an extraordinary general meeting over the weekend.
In the section on European values, AD said it will promote policies for stronger families.
“Apart from traditional family forms, different forms of cohabitating couples should be protected. This should be done through the recognition of registered partnerships, including formations such as those in cohabitation and separated persons, people tied by family links (e.g. mother daughter) and same-sex partners.”
The party added that in the current situation where divorce may be obtained from other countries, even by Maltese citizens, it will promote legislation on divorce in Malta.
The party said it will also promote the harmonisation of EU family policies in areas such as child-care, parental leave and work-life balance, to help bring about stronger families.
On immigration, the party said Malta should give due importance to the humanitarian realities of immigrants, while also having a clear integration policy that matches immigrants’ rights with responsibilities, always in respect of the law.
The party promised to work to strengthen environmental legislation and said, without going into specifics, that it would promote policies to counter the negative effects of the current economic crisis, to counter insecure job contracts and exploitation, and for more female participation in employment.
It would also back current European Commission initiatives “to remove double registration tax on motor vehicles.”
Party leader Arnold Cassola spoke at the general meeting on the ‘Green New Deal’ which all Green Parties throughout the EU are pushing for in their campaign. He said that in Malta the other parties were talking green but their voting record in the European Parliament showed that theirs was only greenwash.
He said that AD looked beyond the short term. Had the government planned well especially in the energy sector, Malta would not be faced with the current huge price hikes in utility bills, he concluded.