It's been a great privilege

As e-day approaches, it is time to start summing up and to put forward my record as your representative in the European Parliament for your consideration and judgment.

When, five years ago, I set foot in the European Parliament as one of the first five Maltese MEPs, two things struck me most. And they have motivated me all along.

The first is that it is an extraordinary honour to represent Malta in a continental Parliament that represents half a billion citizens from 27 countries.

You are entrusted by your voters to represent them in the only directly-elected multi-national parliamentary assembly in the world and to contribute to making Europe and, in turn, your own country, a better place.

You walk into the parliamentary building every morning with a great sense of pride that, in your work, you are representing your whole country, not part of it. And you set about working to repay that trust and to transmit, through your conduct, that sense of national pride back to the people who put you there. To make them, likewise, feel proud of you and of their country.

Five years ago, many feared that our identity would be lost. But my experience has been that our identity has been strengthened by far. Five years on, our country is trusted, respected and considered as a reliable partner in the European forum. That did not happen by chance. The second thing that struck me most upon my election was how one single MEP could make a difference in such a large assembly of more than 700 members. What do you do and how do you do it?

Upon election you really start from scratch. Newcomers take the best part of their first year in office, if not two, to grasp how the system works. And many remain lost for much longer. There was only one way of overcoming this hurdle: it was to get down to work. As hard as possible.

The result of my five years' work is summarised in the table. Five years on, the role of an MEP has become established in Malta. And the European Parliament itself has become the single most-trusted institution by the Maltese.

The table gives an account of the number of parliamentary committees in which I worked and the number of parliamentary delegations for relations with third countries. Normally, each member covers two of each.

Among the committees in which I was most active there was the Civil Liberties Committee, which covers the all-important issue of immigration. Ironically, there was no Maltese MEP in this committee in the first half of the mandate and it was only in January 2007, that is, in mid-term, that this discrepancy was remedied when I managed to move to this committee. I have since become an active member of this committee having been entrusted with the report on a common immigration policy.

The table also gives an account of the number of parliamentary reports that I presented as well as other reports, tabled by others, that I changed by tabling amendments. In total, I tabled amendments to 27 different reports, mostly concerning the issue of immigration, to reflect Malta's interests and concerns in this area.

To successfully amend reports prepared by others, you need to build a network of contacts and to persuade others to support your amendments. You cannot change reports unless you table amendments and you cannot change them unless you persuade others to support you. It means turning your single vote into a majority in the chamber.

The table also shows that in the plenary session of the chamber I rose to participate in debates 92 times. Separately, I was invited to participate as a speaker in 79 conferences and seminars on European affairs both in Malta and abroad.

Many issues were raised in parliamentary questions, largely issues brought to my attention by the public, not least through this column.

Through parliamentary questions you raise issues at the European level, you bring them to the attention of the European Commission and you seek to apply pressure in order to bring about change.

The issues that I raised in parliamentary questions include immigration and also a wide range of issues concerning your rights: from the removal of departure tax to the removal of US visas and from fixed-term contracts of employment to your passenger rights.

Finally, the table shows that, over the past five years, I replied to 4,526 queries, largely generated through this column and its corresponding Ask Your MEP facility on my website.

The most frequently asked questions concerned taxes, employment and working conditions, the environment, free movement and EU funding.

Through these initiatives I have sought to make a difference and to represent your interests in a serious and dignified manner.

It has been a great privilege to have been entrusted to do so.

Track record

9 Participated in nine parliamentary committees and delegations.

15 Prepared two parliamentary reports, three opinions and 10 motions for resolutions.

27 Amended 27 parliamentary reports.

79 Addressed 79 conferences in Malta and abroad.

92 Spoke in plenary 92 times.

121 Submitted 121 parliamentary questions.

4,526 Replied to 4,526 Ask Your MEP queries from the public.

Dr Busuttil is a Nationalist member of the European Parliament.

www.simonbusuttil.eu