Luca Cachia Morena, 9, has been chosen to represent Malta at the 14th Parliament for Children being held on Saturday at the Palais Bourbon in Paris under the presidency of Bernard Accoyer, President of the French Parliament.

On the occasion of France taking over the presidency of the EU from July 1, succeeding Slovenia, Mr Accoyer has invited a child from each of the 27 member states to participate in the event.

About 577 pupils of CM2 (Junior 5) will be taking the place of the deputies of each French legislative district. During the day, they will discuss and vote on three proposals for new laws, which they previously worked out together with their teachers.

The academic jury has selected three proposals for the children to vote on: One is aimed at forbidding the sale of simplified mobile phones, designed for children aged between four and 10, and to inform consumers of the risks linked with the regular use of mobile phones by young children.

The second is aimed at providing access to treatment for patients suffering from rare diseases, finance medical research and provide free equipment and care.

The third is directed at fighting pollution resulting from aluminium cans in the French districts of Outre-Mer, making it compulsory to deposit, recycle them or replace them with glass bottles.

The propositions will be subject to a vote. One of them may even be enacted to become part of the statute book in France, as with the law of March 6, 2000, aimed at reinforcing the role schools play in the prevention and detection of violence to minors.