Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1377253
8 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 26 MAY 2021 This article is part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. These articles reflect only the authors' view. The European Parliament is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. DAVID LINDSAY LABOUR Party MEP Cyrus Engerer has been named to two new and important roles for Malta within the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Dem- ocrats: as negotiator on Legal Migration Policy & Law, and as the European Parliament's delegate to the International Maritime Organisation's Ma- rine Environmental Protection Committee. On his new role as S&D's ne- gotiator on Legal Migration Policy and Law in the European Union, Engerer explains how, "The European Union must ad- dress a number of labour gaps it is facing in a concrete man- ner. It must also stop losing in the global competition and start attracting talent that is being lost to other major econ- omies around the world." At the same time, Engerer said, Europe needs to control the irregular immigration of those not entitled to protec- tion and asylum: "Countries at the periphery of the Union cannot be expected to carry all the burden of those arriving at their shores, while it is essen- tial that systems are in place to not lose more lives in the Med- iterranean." Gaps in labour markets, he said, must be addressed to fos- ter economic growth in the European Union. By way of example, he mentioned the gap in nurses and care workers in Malta and how, together with third-country nationals in the medical field, Malta managed to become the European lead- er in the fight against the Cov- id-19 pandemic. The European continent, he warned, is currently witnessing the biggest decrease in natural population, when comparing deaths and births and the com- position of the modern Euro- pean family. An ageing popula- tion, he said, requires workers to maintain essential services as well as to ensure the social welfare of the population. Engerer was appointed to this role following his speeches in the European Parliament Ple- nary last week on migration, where he addressed the two- sides of the coin that different Member States are facing on migration. He had emphasised on the importance of a concrete plan that will lead to link European employers with third-country nationals seeking employment while still in their home coun- try. Such a database, Engerer underscored, would not only list those who would be inter- ested in moving to Europe but also highlight their verified qualifications and expertise. This, he said, would lead to a decrease of economic migrants through dangerous irregular channels. The IMO Marine Environmen- tal Protection Committee Engerer has meanwhile also been appointed as one of the two Socialist representatives on the European delegation to the Marine Environmental Protection Committee of the International Maritime Organ- isation. Since the start of his mandate in the European Parliament, Engerer said he has taken a leading and active role in Par- liament's Environment Com- mittee on the protection of seas and oceans, which, he stresses, had not been given due impor- tance during Committee dis- cussions. The cleanliness of the seas is of special importance to Mal- ta and the Maltese, as Engerer explains: "For us Maltese, the seas are not only important to the economy, but play an im- portant role for our relaxation and our mental health." Engerer appointed to EP roles on legal migration, marine protection Labour MEP Cyrus Engerer has been appointed to two S&D roles of crucial importance to Malta