Malta to place citizen at centre of EU - Louis Grech

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

"The 2017 Maltese Presidency must be an example of putting citizens at the centre of the EU and this must produce tangible results," Grech said.

Speaking during a public dialogue to mark Europe Day, 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.

"The Presidency is a perfect opportunity to place citizens at the centre because Malta's size gives us credibility," he added.

The relationship between the EU and ordinary citizens had declined because of the economic crisis, and it needed to be renewed, Grech said.

He explained that from his experience as an MEP, citizens were not aware of what their rights were and felt that the EU was putting big businesses above citizens.

However, Grech sounded an optimistic note and said that the economic crisis can be overcome by having the citizens on the EU's side.