Engerer appointed to EP roles on legal migration, marine protection

Labour Party MEP Cyrus Engerer has been named to two new and important roles for Malta within the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats: as negotiator on Legal Migration Policy & Law, and as the European Parliament’s delegate to the International Maritime Organisation’s Marine Environmental Protection Committee.

On his new role as S&D’s negotiator on Legal Migration Policy and Law in the European Union, Engerer explains how, “The European Union must address a number of labour gaps it is facing in a concrete manner.  It must also stop losing in the global competition and start attracting talent that is being lost to other major economies around the world.”

At the same time, Engerer said, Europe needs to control the irregular immigration of those not entitled to protection 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 essential that systems are in place to not lose more lives in the Mediterranean.”

Gaps in labour markets, he said, must be addressed to foster 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 leader in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

The European continent, he warned, is currently witnessing the biggest decrease in natural population, when comparing deaths and births and the composition of the modern European family.  An ageing population, 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 Plenary 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 country.  Such a database, Engerer underscored, would not only list those who would be interested 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 Environmental 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 Organisation.

Since the start of his mandate in the European Parliament, Engerer said he has taken a leading and active role in Parliament’s Environment Committee on the protection of seas and oceans, which, he stresses, had not been given due importance during Committee discussions. 

The cleanliness of the seas is of special importance to Malta and the Maltese, as Engerer explains: “For us Maltese, the seas are not only important to the economy, but play an important role for our relaxation and our mental health.”