Peter Agius urges European Commission to provide more opportunities for Maltese youths

Peter Agius urges European Commission to provide more opportunities for Maltese youths

“There is a pressing need to widen European opportunities for Maltese and Gozitans youths. Over recent years, I have assisted numerous Maltese youths in accessing the various experiences offered by the European Union, just as I did when I was young. I am committed to increase European opportunities for youths and students if elected to the European Parliament.”

Peter Agius, PN candidate for the European Parliament elections made this statement after sending a letter to the European Commissioner for Youth, Iliana Ivanova, representing the voices of many young Maltese who have approached him in recent weeks. In the letter, Agius appeals to the European Commission to revise the criteria used to determine the number of young people participating in the DiscoverEU program. This adjustment aims to enable more young Maltese individuals to take part in educational programs and enjoy free travel throughout Europe.

Dr. Peter Agius explained that the European Commission currently selects a fixed number of young people for each country based on population size, but he disagrees with this approach. “The treaties of the European Union outline the principle of digressive proportionality, allowing small states like Malta to have six Members of the European Parliament to ensure a minimum level of representation. I believe that even within programs like Erasmus+, which includes actions such as DiscoverEU, we must guarantee a minimum level of opportunities for Malta beyond our country’s population. It’s unacceptable that only 40 young people from Malta are selected for the DiscoverEU program. We need to address the lack of opportunities for young people, as highlighted in numerous surveys conducted among Maltese and Gozitan youth.”

DiscoverEU, an action of the Erasmus+ program, offers young people aged 18 the chance to travel across Europe and immerse themselves in different cultures and the essence of Europe. Eligible applicants include students in sixth form, universities, MCAST, as well as those on voluntary or gap year. In the last two application cycles, 366 young people from Malta applied in October and 272 in March. However, in both instances, only around 40 applicants were selected. With the mechanism proposed by Peter Agius, opportunities for Maltese and Gozitan youth would increase to 300 in each call, allowing more applicants to benefit from these enriching experiences.

“I believe that EU youth programs should consider the challenges of insularity and provide additional support for individuals from island states, including the Maltese population, to access European opportunities more readily. This aligns with EU treaties, which emphasize the need for special policies to support island regions.” Dr. Peter Agius emphasized. Agius who served as Head of the European Parliament office in Malta and who is currently an official in the European Parliament, expressed his intent to leverage his twenty years of institutional experience to deliver tangible outcomes for Malta.

Programm ġo Brussell għal Studenti tal-Ġurnaliżmu u Ġurnalisti Żgħażagħ

Programm ġo Brussell għal Studenti tal-Ġurnaliżmu u Ġurnalisti Żgħażagħ

Il-Kummissjoni Ewropea qed toffri programm ta’ ġimgħatejn fi Brussell li jinkludi taħriġ u esperjenza diretta tal-istituzzjonijiet Ewropew fi Brussell bl-ispejjeż koperti. Dan jgħodd għal studenti tal-ġurnaliżmu kif ukoll għal ġurnalisti li għadhom kif bdew il-karriera.

Opportunita’ interessanti għal dawk interessati fil-ġurnaliżmu kif ukoll inizjattiva utli biex nissensibilizzaw aktar il-media Maltija għall-operat kumpless iżda dejjem aktar relevanti tal-unjoni Ewropea.

Idħol hawn biex tapplika https://youth4regions.tw.events/

Ikkuntattjani direttament jekk nista’ ngħin jew nikkjarifika xi punti.

Għoddni tiegħek,

Peter Agius

‘Imagine Ninja Lecturing At MCAST’: Maltese MEP Candidate Sees Esports As Malta’s ‘Next Big Industry’

‘Imagine Ninja Lecturing At MCAST’: Maltese MEP Candidate Sees Esports As Malta’s ‘Next Big Industry’

A Maltese PN MEP candidate has called for a larger focus on Esports and gaming in Malta, even going so far as to say that infamous Fortnite Twitch streamer Ninja should lecture on the island.

“I agree with the Prime Minister’s statement with attracting big tournaments to Malta, but we must go much deeper. We must adapt education to produce tailor-made skills – imagine Ninja lecturing at MCAST, or Betsson as Head of IT at MCAST. This is how German industry conquered the world – by getting its industry onto college boards,” said Peter Agius.

His comments come after a visit to local gamer parlour run by Gamers.com.mt, where he played games such as Counterstrike with other Maltese gamers

Agius does have his preferences when it comes to gaming

“My kids play Minecraft, though I am not a big fan, and I played Counterstrike at the parlour – though I got killed nine times in ten minutes,” Agius told Lovin Malta. “I haven’t played Fortnite, though I have played Tekken since I was 18; I do enjoy Tekken a lot.”

When asked who his favourite Tekken character was, Agius responded: “The ladies.”

Admitting he isn’t a “real gamer”, he urged other politicians to “get out of their bubble”.

“I took a glimpse of your world and want to help to make your passion count more, make it easier for your passion to help you get a good job and help this country invest in its talent,” he said of Maltese gamers.

 

Read full article on LovinMalta here.

EU veteran Peter Agius launches EU MEP campaign

EU veteran Peter Agius launches EU MEP campaign

EU veteran Peter Agius will be contesting the upcoming MEP elections with the Nationalist Party.

Peter Agius was the head of the European Parliament Information Office in Malta for a number of years, and left to work as a speechwriter for the European Parliament President Antonio Tajani in 2017. He is currently a Head of Unit in Tajani’s Cabinet. He was also in charge of the negotiations in Council and part of the legal service between 2002 and 2012.

In a statement today, he explained the reasons why he decided to contest.

“Eddie Fenech Adami promised a new spring for Malta in the European Union. That promise brought opportunity and prosperity for many Maltese. With membership, we opened horizons for our youth, for our businesses, for our economy. Our islands went through a speedy metamorphoses. MCAST was born, now producing top professionals in their areas. We invested in a specialised oncology centre for the fight against cancer. Our islands got a general facelift from St Angelo to St Elmo to the many squares and churces restored with EU funds.”

Read the full article here:  EU veteran Peter Agius launches EU MEP campaign