Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1535229
JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt 6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 11 MAY 2025 NEWS EEKhEDEdK&>>&KZWZK:dWZKWK^>^hEZ dŚĞƵƌŽƉĞĂŶDĂƌŝƚŝŵĞ&ŝƐŚĞƌŝĞƐĂŶĚƋƵĂĐƵůƚƵƌĞ&ƵŶĚϮϬϮϭͲϮϬϮϳ ŽŵƉĞŶƐĂƚŝŽŶƚŽ&ŝƐŚĞƌƐĨŽƌƚŚĞŽůůĞĐƚŝŽŶŽĨ>ŽƐƚ&ŝƐŚŝŶŐ'ĞĂƌƐĂŶĚƚŚĞWĂƐƐŝǀĞŽůůĞĐƚŝŽŶŽĨDĂƌŝŶĞ >ŝƚƚĞƌĨƌŽŵƚŚĞ^ĞĂ dŚĞDŝŶŝƐƚƌLJƌĞƐƉŽŶƐŝďůĞĨŽƌƵƌŽƉĞĂŶ&ƵŶĚƐǁŽƵůĚůŝŬĞƚŽĂŶŶŽƵŶĐĞƚŚĂƚŝƚŝƐůĂƵŶĐŚŝŶŐĂŶŽƉĞŶĐĂůůĨŽƌ ƉƌŽũĞĐƚƉƌŽƉŽƐĂůƐŝŶƚŚĞĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐĂƌĞĂ͗^ƉĞĐŝĨŝĐKďũĞĐƚŝǀĞϭ͘ϲͲŽŶƚƌŝďƵƚŝŶŐƚŽƚŚĞƉƌŽƚĞĐƚŝŽŶĂŶĚ ƌĞƐƚŽƌĂƚŝŽŶŽĨĂƋƵĂƚŝĐďŝŽĚŝǀĞƌƐŝƚLJĂŶĚĞĐŽƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ;DĂƌŝŶĞ>ŝƚƚĞƌͿ͘ dŚŝƐĐĂůůƐŚĂůůďĞŽƉĞŶƚŽƉƵďůŝĐĂƵƚŚŽƌŝƚŝĞƐͬĞŶƚŝƚŝĞƐ͕ůŽĐĂůĐŽƵŶĐŝůƐ͕ĨŝƐŚĞƌƐŝŶĐůƵĚŝŶŐƐŵĂůůͲĐŽĂƐƚĂůĨŝƐŚĞƌƐ͕ ĨŝƐŚŝŶŐ ĐŽŽƉĞƌĂƚŝǀĞƐ ĂŶĚ ĂƐƐŽĐŝĂƚŝŽŶƐ͕ EŽŶͲGovernment Organisations (NGO's) involved in DĂƌŝŶĞͬĨŝƐŚĞƌŝĞƐͬŶĂƚƵƌĞƉƌŽƚĞĐƚŝŽŶ͕ĞŶƚŝƚŝĞƐĂŶĚƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚŝŶƐƚŝƚƵƚŝŽŶƐŝŶǀŽůǀĞĚǁŝƚŚƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚͬƐƚƵĚŝĞƐͬ ĂƐƐĞƐƐŵĞŶƚƐŝŶƚŚĞŵĂƌŝŶĞĞŶǀŝƌŽŶŵĞŶƚĂŶĚƐŝŵŝůĂƌ͘ dŚŝƐĐĂůůǁŝůůďĞĞŶĐŽƵƌĂŐŝŶŐŝŶƚĞƌǀĞŶƚŝŽŶƐƚŚĂƚƉƌŽƚĞĐƚĂŶĚƌĞƐƚŽƌĞĂƋƵĂƚŝĐďŝŽĚŝǀĞƌƐŝƚLJĂŶĚĞĐŽƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ͘ dŚŝƐĂŝŵƐƚŽŝŶǀŽůǀĞĞůŝŐŝďůĞĂƉƉůŝĐĂŶƚƐĨŽƌƚŚĞĐŽůůĞĐƚŝŽŶŽĨůŽƐƚĨŝƐŚŝŶŐŐĞĂƌƐĂŶĚŵĂƌŝŶĞůŝƚƚĞƌ͕ŝŶůŝŶĞǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞĂŵďŝƚŝŽŶƐŽĨƚŚĞ^ŝŶŐůĞͲhƐĞWůĂƐƚŝĐWƌŽĚƵĐƚƐ^ƚƌĂƚĞŐLJĨŽƌDĂůƚĂϮϬϮϭͲ2030, EU's Strategy for plastics ŝŶĂĐŝƌĐƵůĂƌĞĐŽŶŽŵLJĂŶĚƚŚĞ^ŝŶŐůĞͲƵƐĞWůĂƐƚŝĐƐŝƌĞĐƚŝǀĞ;^hWͿ;hͿϮϬϭϵͬϵϬϰ͘&ŽĐƵƐŵĂLJďĞƉůĂĐĞĚŽŶ ƚŚĞƉƌĞǀĞŶƚŝŽŶŽĨĞŶƚƌLJŽĨůŝƚƚĞƌĂŶĚ^hWŝŶƚŽƚŚĞŵĂƌŝŶĞĞŶǀŝƌŽŶŵĞŶƚƚŚƌŽƵŐŚĂĐƚŝŽŶƐƌĞůĂƚĞĚƚŽƉŽƌƚ ŽƌŽƚŚĞƌŝŶĨƌĂƐƚƌƵĐƚƵƌĞĂŵĞŶŝƚŝĞƐĨŽƌĂĚĞƋƵĂƚĞůŽƐƚĨŝƐŚŝŶŐŐĞĂƌĂŶĚŵĂƌŝŶĞůŝƚƚĞƌƌĞĐĞƉƚŝŽŶ͘dŚĞďƵĚŐĞƚ foreseen under this call is € 500,000 in public eligible funds with a coͲĨŝŶĂŶĐŝŶŐƌĂƚĞŽĨϳϬй͘ ƉƉůŝĐĂƚŝŽŶƐ ƐŚŽƵůĚ ďĞ ƐƵďŵŝƚƚĞĚ ĞůĞĐƚƌŽŶŝĐĂůůLJ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ^ƚƌƵĐƚƵƌĂů &ƵŶĚƐ ĂƚĂďĂƐĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ƐĨĚ͘ŐŽǀ͘ŵƚͬĂƉƉůŝĐĂƚŝŽŶďLJŶŽƚůĂƚĞƌƚŚĂŶϮϳ ƚŚ :ƵŶĞϮϬϮϱŶŽŽŶ͘ dŚĞŽŶůŝŶĞĂƉƉůŝĐĂƚŝŽŶĨŽƌŵĨŽƌƚŚĞƐƵďŵŝƐƐŝŽŶŽĨƉƌŽũĞĐƚƉƌŽƉŽƐĂůƐĂŶĚƐƵƉƉŽƌƚŝŶŐĚŽĐƵŵĞŶƚĂƚŝŽŶĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ ŽŶ ŚƚƚƉƐ͗ͬͬĨŽŶĚŝ͘ĞƵͬǁŚĂƚͲĨƵŶĚŝŶŐͲŝƐͲĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ͘ ŶLJ ƋƵĞƌŝĞƐ ƐŚŽƵůĚ ďĞ ƐĞŶƚ ďLJ ĞŵĂŝů ŽŶ ĨŽŶĚŝ͘ĞƵΛŐŽǀ͘ŵƚ͘ dŚĞŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƚŝŽŶƐĞƐƐŝŽŶŝƐďĞŝŶŐŽƌŐĂŶŝƐĞĚĂƐƉĞƌƚŚĞďĞůŽǁ͗ dƵĞƐĚĂLJ͕DĂLJϮϬ͕ϮϬϮϱ͕^DKĨĨŝĐĞƐ͕ϮϴϬ͕ZĞƉƵďůŝĐ^ƚƌĞĞƚ͕sĂůůĞƚƚĂĨƌŽŵϭϬ͗ϬϬƚŝůůϭϮ͗ϬϬ ZĞŐŝƐƚĞƌĨŽƌƚŚĞŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƚŝŽŶƐĞƐƐŝŽŶƐďLJƐĐĂŶŶŝŶŐƚŚĞYZĐŽĚĞďĞůŽǁ͗ Joie de vivre? Maltese dance and sing less, but shine on stage and in writing FEW things capture the joy of life quite like dancing and sing- ing, shared moments of rhythm, emotion, and connection that bring people together. However, the Maltese tend to shun dancing and singing com- pared to most other Europeans. Instead, they are more likely to act on stage and write poems and novels. This emerges from a Euro- barometer survey on attitudes towards culture, which includ- ed a question on which artistic activities respondents in each EU member state had engaged in, either alone or in a class or group, during the past 12 months. The survey shows that while dancing is the most popular cultural activity across the con- tinent, with 17% of respondents in all 27 EU member states hav- ing danced in the past year, on- ly 10% of Maltese say they have done so. However, the Maltese are more likely to dance than only Latvi- ans (9%), Poles (9%), Romanians (8%), and Lithuanians (5%). In contrast, the most avid dancers are the Greeks (37%), Luxembourgers (28%), and Finns (27%). The Maltese are also among the least likely to have practised singing in the past year. While 15% of all EU respondents re- ported singing, only 8% of Mal- tese said they had done so, the same percentage as in Hungary and Poland. The only Europeans who sing less are Lithuanians (7%), Ro- manians (4%), and Portuguese (3%). In contrast, the highest per- centage of singers is found in Sweden (23%), followed by the Netherlands (20%). Furthermore, while singing and dancing are not particular- ly popular in Malta, the Maltese are among the most likely to act on stage (7%), second only to the Swedes (9%). Surprisingly, the Maltese are also the fifth most likely in Eu- rope to write poems, novels, or essays, with 9% of the popula- tion involved in this activity. Additionally, 7% of Maltese en- gage in creative computing and programming, a figure slightly lower than the EU average. Despite the popularity of band clubs, the Maltese are al- so slightly less likely to play a musical instrument. While 11% of all EU respondents reported playing an instrument in the past year, the figure drops to 9% in Malta. This contrasts sharply with Sweden (23%), the Nether- lands (20%), and Finland (19%). The survey shows that half of the Maltese, like half of all EU respondents, have not partici- pated in any of the listed artistic activities. However, participa- tion varies widely, ranging from a low of 19% in Romania to a high of 69% in Finland. Still, despite their reluctance to dance and sing, the Maltese report a high level of content- ment, with 91% saying they are fulfilled in their personal lives. Of these, 36% report being "to- tally fulfilled," in contrast to 30% of all EU respondents. Sweden 9 Malta 7 Netherlands 6 Austria 5 Belgium 5 Who is most likely to act on stage in Europe Greece 37 Luxembroug 28 Finland 27 Slovakia 26 Belgium 25 Who dances most in Europe Malta makes top five for acting on stage (File photo)