That significant local touch

We often fail to emphasise enough the importance of hammering in important messages sent by the European Union to us, its citizens. We similarly also fail to conceive regions and local governments as the ideal medium to drive the message home.

At the beginning of this month, the Committee of the Regions within the EU held its seventh summit, which brought together not only the members of this institution but also hundreds of representatives from regions and municipalities all across the continent.

The convention, which discussed and analysed in depth the future of the EU in view of the European reality in today's world, also commemorated the 20th anniversary of the bringing down of the Berlin Wall and the fifth anniversary of the EU's latest enlargement. Both occasions featured prominently in one of the principal interventions of this summit made by Vaira Vike-Freiberga who is vice-chairman of The Future Of Europe reflection group and former President of the Latvian Republic.

Other contributors at the summit included José Manuel Barroso, the President of the European Commission, Luc Van den Branden, the president of the Committee of the Regions, Commissioner Danuta Hubner and other exponents from the Czech Republic, which holds the EU Presidency.

The focus of the discussions held over the summit's two days revolved around the role of regions and localities as perceived by the Lisbon Treaty.

As a member of the Maltese representation to the Committee of the Regions, I was honoured to be able to participate actively in the ongoing discussion which highlighted the important and effective role European regions must play in the prevailing global financial crisis.

One might question the relevance of all this vis-a-vis our small island, where local authority is still in its infancy, with limited executive powers essential in such situations. Although this might be true, the past 15 years of local government in Malta and Gozo have proven that, indirectly, they have constantly contributed greatly to our prosperity and to attract local and foreign investments. In this regard we must strive to be more innovative and to put into practice the "think global act local" concept. The government's budget for 2009 sent a clear message in this regard, that the country intends investing in turning our towns and villages into sustainable localities that will, in turn, eventually contribute to the generation of new jobs.

The Prague summit insisted that, in view of the prevailing worldwide financial crisis, EU member countries should invest more in their localities, without abandoning other urgent themes being discussed, such as that of global warming. In our local context, this may be a challenge we should not miss. We must be capable of safeguarding the employment of our fellow citizens, generate new jobs and contemporarily invest in alternative energy and the environment.

Through creativity and innovation, the environment can become for us another source of sustainable job creation. Here, the island of Gozo and the Eco Gozo proposal play a very important role. It is a fundamental mistake if we were to limit such an original and beneficial project only to Gozo. This is a national project for the benefit of the Maltese archipelago at large. It is a project for Malta and Gozo's citizens of today and tomorrow.

In a recent meeting, during which the Minister for Gozo discussed the Eco Gozo concept with the mayors of the island, one could easily notice the motivation and enthusiasm to work hard towards this goal. Preparation for the Eco Gozo project dates back a number of years, with initiatives taken by the Ministry for Gozo such as the closing down of the Qortin rubbish dump, the shutting down of the General Hospital incinerator and the new sewage-water treatment plant in Għajnsielem.

The Prague summit ended with a declaration by the members of the Committee of the Regions encouraging the EU to come closer to the everyday reality of its citizens, reminding it too that this can never be realised unless it happens through the direct involvement of local authorities. In this regard, those present promised their determination to work hard towards sustainable social and economic reforms all across Europe. The same members urged the EU never to abandon the values of solidarity and subsidiarity, which gave birth to this great Union more than 50 years ago.

For all this to happen successfully, there's one very important and essential link left: the citizen. This explains the importance of each vote during June's European elections. Each and every vote represents a collective message to the EU and this is why we cannot risk wasting it but we must use it to choose only those representatives that truly and constantly believed in the EU. A vote for anyone else or abstention will only mean that Malta and Gozo will be missing out on unique opportunities for the next five years.

The author is mayor of San Lawrenz and titular member of the Committee of the Regions.