People had to take hold of their responsibilities, reflect on what caused the current situation in Europe and work for a better future, EU Minister Louis Grech said this morning.

Speaking to secondary school students during an activity at the Old University in Valletta held to mark Europe Day, Mr Grech referred to a letter ministers from Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK sent the European Commission in March stating that they wanted to put an end to EU nationals who moved to another EU country and claimed benefits.

EU countries, he said, were becoming more individualistic and the best way of integrating national and EU interest had to always be sought.

One had to look at what caused the current financial situation, which had led to unemployment, slow economic growth, deteriorating social conditions and structural problems.

“You have inherited a Europe which is not strong,” he said.

Mr Grech said that if banks had created problems with their speculation in 2008, they had to be supervised targeting the source of the problem.

The activity included the participation of the AFM band and started with a performance preview of The complete history of Europe (More or Less) a play by Malcolm Galea and Joseph Zammit giving the students a condensed overview of Europe. The play is being performed in the upcoming Ziguzajg Festival in November.

During the event students asked about increasing knowledge of EU rights, illiteracy, getting the message across and the legacy politicians would be leaving behind.

Organised by the European Commission Representation and the European Parliament Office in Malta, the event was the outcome of a competition for students launched in March. Participants were asked to prepare a short essay on a theme related to the 2013 European Year of Citizens.