Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1057934
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Foreign Exchange • Control your cash ow eectively • Support your international commercial needs with ecient Foreign Exchange services • Manage exchange rate volatility in the most traded currencies FIMBank Business Fixed Term Deposits • Fixed term deposit flexibility, available in USD, EUR and GBP • Eective management of liquidity • Attractive interest rates • Available in major currencies CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 In her presentation, Dalli called on Cabinet to approve the setting-up of a working group to draw up a report on the "logistical implications for the granting of voting rights to TCNs in lo- cal elections post-2019". The working group envisaged would have been chaired by the Human Rights and Integration Directorate, and included representatives of the justice and local councils ministry, the Elec- toral Commission, the Forum for Inte- gration Affairs, and the Local Councils Association. But MaltaToday is informed that no discussion was actually held since Dal- li's proposal found no support among her colleagues and was met with dis- dain. Sources reported that vocal oppo- nents to the plan included economy and home affairs ministers Chris Car- dona and Michael Farrugia, with even education minister Evarist Bartolo re- marking that the proposal would find no popular foothold. The general consensus among minis- ters and parliamentary secretaries was that the country was not ready for such a move. Instead, ministers approved an inter-ministerial action plan based on the migrant integration plan for Dalli to launch later on in the month. In her paper, Dallia acknowledged the challenges and the outrage that her proposal could provoke. But she insisted that although granting politi- cal rights to migrants could be consid- ered "a fairly controversial topic in the field of integration", granting political rights to TCNs would provide a means of expression as well as a sensitisation towards responsibilities. This, she says, would create greater balance between migrant rights and responsibilities in the host locality. Controversial proposal The feeling inside the Labour Cabinet resonates with the results of recent surveys: in April 2018, a Eurobarometer survey found that 60% of the Maltese do not consider granting immigrants the vote in local election as beneficial to their inte- gration. The survey found that Malta was one of 14 EU countries where less than half of those polled agreed integration was successful in their country. The per- centage varied between under a quar- ter (24%) of respondents in Bulgaria to nearly half (49%) of those surveyed in France, Greece, Malta and Slovakia. Only 35% of Maltese think that the ac- quisition of citizenship is important for integration. This contrasts with the view of citizens in 24 Member States in which a majority of respondents think it is important. The survey showed that the Maltese were among the least in Europe to in- teract with immigrants. 31% of the Maltese interact with immigrants 'less than once a year or never' in childcare centres, schools or universities. Over six in ten Maltese polled in the sur- vey said that immigration was more of a problem. Only 28% of the Maltese think that immigrants enrich Malta's cultural life. In her paper to the Cabinet, Dalli said that effective and successful integration will only happen when Malta manages to do well across all key integration in- dicators, namely labour market mobil- ity, education, political participation, access to nationality, family reunion, health, permanent residence, and anti- discrimination. "One of the key factors in the process of integration is for migrants to feel in- vested in and to make valid contribu- tions to their new country of residence," the paper reads. "Civic participation is important as it supports integration by enhancing the role of migrants as resi- dents and as participation in a demo- cratic society. This can be achieved through effective and strong political participation at the local level." Dalli said that any changes to law and policy would need to be backed by a "clear and unequivocal message by Government" encouraging interac- tion between Maltese and foreign-born residents. Migrant-related issues would need to be better portrayed, she said, namely by highlighting integration, intercultural- ism and diversity. "An effort needs to be made in order to facilitate and encourage migrant participation in mainstream organisa- tions, such as trade unions, women's organisations, political parties, and lo- cal pressure groups." pcocks@mediatoday.com.mt EU legislation on voting rights for non-EU nationals The EU does not mandate or regulate the electoral rights of TCNs in member states, which are free to implement their own frameworks. EU nationals can vote in local councils and European elections as residents of any member state. The realisation of electoral rights within the EU ranges from the inclusion of nearly all non-EU citizens in countries such as Estonia, Ireland and Finland, who can participate in elections at the local level. Large numbers of non-EU citizens have also been enfranchised at the local level in Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden, where – after three years residency – all newcomers can also vote and stand in all elections except national general elections. Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands grant TCNs the right to vote in local council elections after five years of residency, whereas Estonia allows long-term residents to vote in local elections, but not to stand as candidates. On the other end of the spectrum, in 11 EU member states including Malta, Romania and Poland, TCNs are completely excluded from electoral participation. Dalli wanted study group to explore voting rights for migrant workers EDITORIAL PG 19 Non-citizen residents are expected to obey the country's laws but no clear legal pathway is offered for them to become citizens and also have voting rights