IT-TLETTAX-IL LEĠIŻLATURA P.L. 1580 Dokument imqiegħed fuq il-Mejda tal-Kamra tad-Deputati fis-Seduta Numru 107 tat-2 ta’ Mejju 2018 mill-Ispeaker, l-Onor. Anġlu Farrugia. ___________________________ Raymond Scicluna Skrivan tal-Kamra Parliamentary Delegation Report to the House of Representatives, Parliament of Malta. Date: 281h- 291h April 2018 Venue: Cairo, Egypt Maltese delegation: Honourable Anglu Farrugia MP, President of the House of Representatives Honourable Glenn Bedingfield MP, Government Member Honourable Anton Refalo MP, Government Member Honurable Carmela Mifsud Bonnici MP, Opposition Member Mr Giovanni Miceli, Adviser International Relations, House of Representatives Ms Karen Mama, Research Analyst, House of Representatives At the invitation of the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Arab Republic of Egypt and President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean, Honourable Dr. Ali Abdel Aal, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Honourable Anglu Farrugia MP, participated at the sth Summit of Speakers of Parliaments and the 14'h Plenary Session of the Union for the Mediterranean, which were held at the Egyptian House of Representatives, Cairo. ;, .. , Saturday, 28th April, 2018 Hon Dr. Ali Abdel Aal, Speaker of the Egyptian House of Representatives and President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Medite!Tanean, welcomed all the participants to the 5th Summit of Speakers of Parliaments of the Union for the Mediterranean and delivered the opening address of the conference. Hon Aal elaborated on the importance of multilateral cooperation in all areas between both sides of the Mediterranean. He then refe!Ted to ilTegular migration and its root causes, mainly wars, economic imbalance and human trafficking. He also mentioned the situation in Palestine and the non-implementation of the UN Security Council Resolutions, adding that having peace in this region would greatly contribute to counter terrorism. He concluded by saying that Members of Parliament have the duty to revisit legislation and enhance the exchange of information to cmmter terrorism and promote peace in the region. Counsellor Omar Mmwan, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, delivered a speech on behalf of the Prime Minister of the Arab Republic of Egypt, HE Mr. Sheriflsmail. He said that there can be no peace in the region without development and no development without peace. He spoke about Egypt's on-going economic and social transitions and concluded by saying that everyone should work together for tolerance and peace. On behalf of HE Antonio Tajani, President of the Europem1 Parliament, Hon David-Maria Sassoli, Vice-President of the European Parliament, said that the Mediterranean was passing through a difficult moment and that hate was taking the place of peace. He called for greater cooperation by all MeditelTanean countries to fight together against those who are sowing te!Torism. He noted that Parliamentarians should put their energy at the service of their citizens. He refe!Ted to economic issues, leading to an increased number of migrants, and the importance to promote economic and social development while having full respect for human rights. He mentioned the situation in Syria, Iraq, Libya and the Occupied Territories, adding that Europe should do more to help fmd a peaceful and durable solution. He concluded by referring to the importance of development in Africa and also increased attention to issues related to clinlate change. l-Ion Maria Edera Spadoni, Vice-President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, who spoke on behalf of HE Roberto Fico, President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, said that the European response was not enough to address major issues such as migration, te!Torism and political instability, which has led to an increased sense of insecurity. She highlighted the need for increased cooperation between all countries of the Euro-Mediterranean region to address holistically the ongoing challenges. She concluded by refelTing to exchanges at the cultural, economic and energy level as desirable practices to promote development and peace in the Mediterranean. Hon Ali Erkuscan, Member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, spoke on behalf of HE "---'.1 Ismail Kallraman, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. He elaborated on the present situation in Turkey and its role within the region. He said that Turkey has suffered from terrorism, adding that if Turkey were not stable, Europe would also be instable. He referred to migration, saying that there were approximately 3.5 million Syrian refugees in Turkey. He mentioned the agreement on migration reached between Turkey and the European Union and highlighted that Turkey was instmmental to reduce and manage the migration flow into Europe. He emphasised the need to identify the root causes of migration and to promote sustainable development in the Mediterranean region. He concluded by stating that Islam should not be associated with terrorism, which does not belong to any religion. Following the speech by the Turkish representative, the floor was open for interventions by the Speakers of Parliaments and Heads of Delegations of the Parliamentary Assembly ofthe Union for the Mediterranean. The Honourable Ahglu Farrugia, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Malta was the third speaker to take the floor after Austria and Cyprus. In his address, Speaker Farrugia welcomed the opportunity to reconvene and exchange ideas on ongoing challenges and opportunities in the shared Euro-Mediterranean region. He said that this year's topic, Counter­ Terrorism in the Euro-Mediterranean region, builds on the excellent discussions held during the 2017 Summit of Speakers and continues to strengthen the importance of dialogue and exchange of best practices at parliamentary level. The Speaker explained that members of parliament hold a pivotal role to transpose laws, promote parliamentary diplomacy, and sustain close cooperation with their constituency. The transposition of intemationally agreed protocols and inter-parliamentary dialogue are important parliamentary tools to ensure that national legislation is adequate and the representatives of the people are equipped with the best knowledge how to address the evolving terrorist threat. To this end, Speaker Farrugia welcomed developments within the European Union addressing money-laundering, cash entering and leaving the EU, and increased regulations on explosive precursors. Speaker Farrugia spoke about the regional and international organisations that have a seat in Malta and congratulated them for their work in addressing terrorism from political, social, economic, and religious perspectives. In this regard, Speaker Farrugia welcomed the inter­ parliamentary work of the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean. Furthermore, he announced that this summer, the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace, also based in Malta, is launching its parliamentary dimension to further advocate the role of Parliamentarians to promote religious understanding, tolerance, and peace. Upon concluding, Speaker Farrugia recognised that investment and quality education form the basis of resilient societies and that members of parliament hold the key to promote a better understanding of the root causes of terrorism and sustain closer cooperation at a stal(eholder, public, and parliamentary level. At the end of the interventions, the 5th Summit of Speakers of Parliaments of the Union for the Mediterranean unanimously approved a Statement on "Counter-Terrorism in the Euro­ Mediterranean Region". This Statement included an amendment to paragraph 4 which was proposed by the Maltese Parliament. The original text read as follows: "Encouraging member states to develop comprehensive national strategies for fighting terrorism and the extremism leading to terrorism while according priority to preventing, combatting and confi'onting terrorists acts." The text proposed by the Maltese Parliament read as follows: "Encourage member states to develop comprehensive national strategies for the fight against terrorism and extremist ideology while according priority to preventing, detecting and countering terrorist threats and attacks. " The final and consolidated text adopted by the Summit reads as follows: "Encourage member states of Union for Mediterranean to further develop comprehensive national strategies for the fight against terrorism and extremist ideology inciting violence and terrorism while according priority to preventing, detecting and countering terrorist threats and attacks. " 1(' l Sunday, 29'11 April2018 On the margins of the 14'h Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean, the Speaker of the Egyptian House of Representatives, Hon Dr Ali Abdel Aal, requested a bilateral meeting with the Hon Dr Anglu Farrugia. During the meeting, the two Speakers agreed on the importance of enhancing cooperation between the two Parliaments at a bilateral and multilateral level. The two sides agreed to set­ up a Joint Parliamentary Friendship Group as well as to exchange high-level visits. The Hon Farrugia said that Egypt is an important player in Europe and the Mediterranean and emphasised that stability in the region is intrinsically linlced with stability in Egypt. Speaker Farrugia was accompanied by MPs Glenn Bedingfield, Anton Refalo and Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici, Malta's representatives to the PA UfM.