The year 2018 has been special, full of new experiences. It has proven above anything else that hard work does in fact pay off. Being entrusted with the role of member of the European Parliament, I have come to realise that the amount of people you meet and the diversity encountered every day through my work is astounding. 

One of the qualities that I hold dearly about my role is meeting people. People inspire people, their passion on various issues which affect them in different ways, be it at the professional or personal level, makes it all the easier to get involved in the hope of improving the situation at hand.  

I am satisfied to say that this year has been a very fulfilling one for me in my role as an MEP, most notably with regards to issues such as cancer, education, diabetes, young people, the Maltese language, freedom of speech, whistle-blower protection and regulating relations between platforms and business users.  

Some of the accomplishments achieved this year include the establishment of a European Dyslexia Charter together with the aid of Dyslexia Institute UK, which will help in the awareness of dyslexia and the promotion of more inclusivity for dyslexics.  

Moving on to another fundamental topic, especially relevant to us in Malta – our language. First and foremost, we should consider ourselves fortunate and proud to be the smallest EU member state and yet have our very own unique language. This alone has driven me to help improve our chances at keeping this language alive, at a time where technology is dominating our lives and we face the risk of the digital extinction of our language. It is in that light that I considered it my duty to reiterate the importance of government sites to be bilingual.

Moreover, I have given my necessary contribution to a report addressing the challenges being faced by languages in the digital age, highlighting the need to prioritise language technology and the need to improve language digitalisation. 

One of the most significant matters dealt with during this past year was the protection of whistle-blowers.  Sadly, this year has brought with it various difficulties and challenges to the Maltese people. The government is continuously faced with corruption scandals, creating tension and division in the country.  

An example of this divisive and autocratic attitude is clearly seen in the way Government reacts in a heavy handed manner to the people’s wish to set up a shrine to Daphne Caruana Galizia in front our Courts of Justice. 

The rule of law in Malta is under attack, freedom of speech is tainted with threats to journalists and the institutions which are supposed to protect the individual, prefer to defend the giants.

The rule of law in Malta is under attack, freedom of speech is tainted with threats to journalists

This is where the relevance of another issue that I have worked on throughout the past year comes in – I have successfully tabled amendments at the European legislation level to ensure that in the future the  granting of whistler-blower status is administered by an entity that would be genuinely independent from the government, to introduce an appeals mechanism as well as to extend whistle-blower protection to investigative journalists who normally are the catalysts through which we receive the information that we are entitled to. 

I believe this legislation is essential for the protection of persons who report breaches of law.  

Throughout the past year I have moreover sought to work on various issues that relate to our health. Unfortunately, it is a common occurrence to hear of people you know who are diagnosed with cancer or diabetes. It was therefore only natural for me to put these issues at the top of my agenda.  

Starting with cancer, I have joined the group  ‘MEPs against Cancer’ and  I am currently involved as a rapporteur in negotiations to put in force more strict exposure limits on five substances that could  cause cancer at the workplace. 

I am adamant to keep working hand in hand with stakeholders and NGOs to improve existing policies for our present and future generations. 

As regards diabetes, I have also been working closely with Maltese and other European NGOs and stakeholders.  

During the week of World Diabetes Day, I hosted an important awareness event in Strasbourg. Moreover, I kept on reiterating my appeal to the government of Malta to, among other measures, provide free, continuous glucose monitors that would alleviate our children of much unnecessary pain and suffering.

These are some of the more important issues I have had the privilege to deal with throughout the past year. I shall continue to give priority to issues that make a difference in our daily lives and through which we can make Malta a better place.

I shall also continue to give precedence in favour of research where Malta is still lagging behind many other EU countries.  

Equally, I shall keep doing my utmost to support measures that safeguard and improve our education, our health and the protection of our fundamental human rights, not least freedom of speech. 

Ultimately, being a member of the European Parliament is all about working hard together with my colleagues to serve as the voice of the people of Malta within that parliament. 

That means continuously placing our country’s interests first and foremost on our agenda by addressing all the issues that matter for the people of our beloved country.

Francis Zammit Dimech is a Nationalist MEP.

This is a Times of Malta print opinion piece

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.