A young Gozitan’s views on Europe and the younger generation

“Participating in EU initiatives helped me grow as a person. We need to promote the value of Europe with the younger generation,” says Vivienne Bajada.

25 year-old Vivienne is from Gozo and a Masters student at the University of Malta and also works at a communications agency. She said that she has “a truly hectic schedule juggling the demands of study with the rigours of work, leaving her little time for anything else.”

Vivienne is also a Student Representative on Council at the University, another part of her balancing act, “I think it’s all a question of personal growth and time-management. True, a tertiary educational institute in Gozo would have meant that I would have had fewer expenses, less travelling and more time with my family. On the other hand, it would have hindered my personal journey towards financial independence, the improvement of my social skills and it would have kept me from learning how to adapt – something other EU students go through.”

Vivienne is positive about the impact of the EU on her home community, she says, “I think the most drastic change seen on a purely physical level is the refurbishment of the island, especially through the use of EU regional funding schemes. The infrastructure has been completely revamped. Moreover, the Gozitan public has been made more aware of what the EU stands for, their rights and duties as EU citizens and how they can personally benefit from the EU.”

As a Gozitan currently living in Malta, Vivienne is very clear about who she is and what she wants, “I have dual citizenship – Maltese and European. For me, the two are mutually interchangeable. The good thing about the EU is that there is still individuality within diversity. This is what makes the EU such a culturally diverse and interesting region to live in.”

She believes that it’s important to promote Europe among young people, “I was an organiser of the NSTF Mini European Assembly which was the national winner of the Charlemagne Youth Prize. As a result, I was invited by the European Parliament to Aachen. The welcoming committee not only took care of our team, but they were excellent.”

She added the meetings gave us the opportunity to exchange good practices and come up with better solutions to the so-called problem of ‘disinterest’ that many people have towards the EU. I stopped believing in the value of experiences ‘for CV purposes’ a very long time ago. However, I do believe that these experiences help me grow as a person.”

Vivienne is an advocate about participating in EU programmes, “The first programme I have ever participated in was the Leonardo Programme, when I was still at school. It opened a new world of interaction with similar-minded youths all around Europe. Amongst others, I had the opportunity to visit Brussels with Opinion Multiplier groups several times and participate in international conferences with the European Youth. I will also be visiting Strasbourg for Europe Day with the European Parliament. These are all experiences I would not trade for the world.”

Vivienne’s still working on building her future and confesses that she sees benchmark behaviour in some of Malta’s current MEPs, “Some MEPs painstakingly divide their time between Malta and Brussels, trying to keep up with their duties both as representatives in European Parliament as well as the direct connection between the European Parliament and the citizens who elected them. I think others should learn from them.”

The issue she would like to see tackled by the European Parliament after the European elections in May is one that has been highlighted in the media recently, “Clearly immigration. And not which country should be assigned the most immigrants – we are not dealing with cattle here. I think the European Parliament should liaise with the other EU institutions and come up with a solution to tackle the root of the problem, producing long-term results.”

Vivienne concludes by saying, “Being Gozitan means being Maltese so we benefit from the same things. People of my generation now have more opportunities when it comes to work, mobility and overall education. The EP, together with the other co-deciding institutions has a great impact on our lives. What I would like is the EU as a whole to continue working on the unemployment issue in Europe, the question of unpaid traineeship and better funding programs for youth. I will be voting for my MEP on May 24. It’s my duty and my right.”

Vivienne’s story is sponsored by the EPIO in Malta who is working to look after the opinion of the Maltese people about the European parliament work in the Island.

The European Parliament elections are taking place in Malta on May 24, for further information and to read about more Maltese experiences in Europe visit the European Parliament Information Office in Malta website at http://www.europarlmt.eu/ ^[1] or https://www.facebook.com/ParlamentEwropew ^[2]