The sixth edition of the State of the Nation conference, themed -The Maltese population and nation in 50 years – will be held on the 4th of September, at Verdala Castle.

This conference is being organised on the initiative of Professor Vincent Marmara and Mr Lou Bondi, in collaboration with and with the support of the Office of the President.

In addition to various experts in the sector, this year’s State of the Nation conference will also be addressed by Prime Minister Robert Abela, Archbishop Mgr. Charles J. Scicluna, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, and the Leader of the Opposition, Alex Borg.

Details about this year’s edition were given during a press conference at San Anton Palace, during which President Myriam Spiteri Debono, President of Malta, highlighted the importance of this year’s theme against the backdrop of the current discussion about our country’s population.

The President also reiterated how vast this theme is, ”there are those who look at the population from the point of view of ethnicity, the economy, the country’s infrastructure, and health and education among others.”

While emphasising the importance of the participation of experts in the sector, the President also encouraged the participation of the public in general and all those who wish to contribute to the discussion.

Lou Bondi, Strategic Communications Consultant, noted that fundamental and radical changes are taking place in our country and around us that are giving birth to realities that we still have to understand what they mean, and are leading to the sense of who I am and who we are no longer what it was yesterday.

“This year’s theme should spur us to discuss and analyse the democratic effects that we are anticipating for the Maltese nation in the next 50 years, and the impact on our language, customs and ethnicity, as well as to explore how the Maltese identity was born and nurtured from the roots of the mixing of cultures as well as in which direction the Maltese nation and its identity can go,” explained Bondi.

Professor Vincent Marmara, an Expert in Statistics and Associate Professor in the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accounting of the University of Malta.

Professor Marmara explained that the State of the Nation never had the ambition to merely describe reality. “The aim is to raise a serious national discussion, based on facts and research, so that together we can help build a long-term vision for our country. Because the future of Malta is not built by waiting for challenges to arise but by having the courage to discuss them, understand them and act on them.

Professor Marmara explained that the decisions we take today will shape the Malta of tomorrow. “This is the spirit of the State of the Nation. Not just to understand where we are, but to decide together where we want to go from here on.”

The conference is open to all those who wish to attend, by registering via email at stattannazzjon@gov.mt

Photo: DOI/Omar Camilleri

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