The importance of the citizen at the heart of the European Union, the fight against poverty, economic recovery and iregular migration should be among the priorities of Malta's presidency of the EU in 2017, EU Affairs Minister Louis Grech said.

Speaking during a public dialogue to mark Europe Day, Mr Grech also announced that changes will be made in Mepa and the Contracts Department in the coming weeks to remove unnecessary bureaucracy which was hindering the absorption of EU funds.

In his address, Mr Grech insisted that the citizen needed to be put back at the heart of the European Union. This was an opportunity which Malta's presidency of the EU should take up, he said. The relationship between the EU and the ordinary citizen had declined because of the economic crisis, and it needed to be renewed, he said.