The six-month rotating presidency of the Council passes from Malta to Estonia tomorrow (Saturday 1 July) after a busy six months which has seen significant new measures to reduce tax avoidance, progress on the capital markets union, a new joint strategy to eliminate poverty with the European Consensus on Development, and the elimination of mobile roaming charges across Europe.
In the first half of 2017, Malta also presided over the EU’s celebrations and declaration of solidarity on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the founding Treaties of Rome, as well as a major ongoing debate on the future direction of Europe and the opening of negotiations with the United Kingdom on Brexit.
PES president Sergei Stanishev said:
“I am immensely proud that one of Europe’s most progressive governments, that of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and the Partit Laburista in Malta, has delivered such a successful presidency over the past six months.
“Countries like Malta are great examples of what can be achieved when socialist and social democrat parties can take the lead and implement genuinely progressive programmes for the benefits of all their citizens. With its highly successful presidency of the Council of Ministers, Malta has now demonstrated that this is the case just as much at the European level as at the national level.
“These achievements are particularly impressive considering that Mr Muscat’s party also fought a general election – and won a landslide victory – during the same period.”