Over 300 officials are being trained in preparation for Malta’s EU Presidency next year, Parliamentary Secretary Ian Borg said this morning during a MEUSAC Core Group meeting.

A further 150 officials in Brussels were also receiving the necessary training, Dr Borg said.

“We are making sure that officials are trained so that we make sure to be well-equipped to give back to the EU. The Presidency is our opportunity to give back to the Union,” he said.

The Secretariat said it was crucial to note that during the Presidency, Malta’s role would be to move agendas on an EU level and while some of the legislation discussed and passed during this time might not always directly impact the country, it would be significant for the Union as a whole.

In the coming months, he went on, the EU could be experiencing changes that could impact the Presidency.

“In a few weeks’ time the UK will hold a very important referendum and whatever the outcome of this, it will surely impact the Presidency. A number of other events, such as elections in the Netherlands and then in France and Germany next year need to also be kept in mind,” Dr Borg said.

During the Presidency, there will be some 200 informal meetings and about another 19 on a ministerial level held in Malta.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.