Parliamentary Secretary for European Funds Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi has taken part in the informal virtual meeting of the European Union General Affairs Council.
Today’s meeting discussed how the European Union will move forward with the Digital Green Certificate after it has been approved by the European Council.
The proposal for a regulation on this certificate provides for a legal framework in the European Union with a view to creating a single system to facilitate the free movement of persons between Member States.
It was explained that following the European Council’s approval, negotiations between the Council and the European Parliament are expected to begin shortly.
Parliamentary Secretary Zrinzo Azzopardi expressed the satisfaction of the Maltese Government for the approval of a Digital Green Certificate by the European Council and described this as an important key action in the efforts against the Covid-19 effect.
He called for maintaining certain elements of flexibility in the position taken by the Council to allow room for amendment if there are currently unknown scientific developments.
Furthermore, he said that certain elements relating to the competences and prerogatives of the Member States should also be maintained due to the fact that the situation of the spread of the virus is not the same in all Member States.
The General Affairs Council also discussed the work being done by the three European Union institutions on the Conference on the Future of Europe. The conference is seen as a broad and inclusive exercise, with the aim of giving European Union citizens from all walks of life their views on the future of Europe so that policy makers can be guided.
A multilingual digital platform has already been launched with the aim of launching online activities organised by stakeholders in all Member States.
Parliamentary Secretary Zrinzo Azzopardi said that Malta is preparing for this conference and “will work hard to put Maltese citizens at the heart of this exercise of discussion focused on the realities of citizens, the needs, and their aspirations.”
The Conference on the Future of Europe is expected to start on the 9th of May.
