JEF Spring Federal Committee Malta 2023
JEF Malta proudly hosted the 2023 Spring Federal Committee (Spring FC) in the picturesque town of Mellieħa. The Federal Committees, or FCs, are held twice every year in a previously selected city in Europe, acting as the main decision-making body of JEF Europe in between the European Congresses which take place every two years.
The opening ceremony of the FC consisted of speeches from the then President of JEF Europe, Antonio Argenziano, the then President of JEF Malta, Nicole Spiteri as well as speeches by the representatives from the European Parliament Liaison Office (EPLO) and Aġenzija Żgħażagħ. Following the opening ceremony, a presentation was held to launch Democracy Under Pressure Campaign concerning the regression of democracy around Europe, especially with regards to Belarus and Russia.
The bulk of the activities took place on the second day in which long and fruitful discussions took place in the respective Political Commissions (PC) meetings. The PCs are split into three concerning governance, internal European affairs, and external affairs. The topics discussed ranged from electoral reform in the European elections, sustainability, education, combatting disinformation, energy, a balanced relationship with China, and creating a sustainable trade policy. Subsequent to the discussions on the topics and amendments, a resolution was formulated that after their adopted would remain JEF Europe’s official positions on the respective matters for two and a half years.
The second day also involved presentations by JEF Germany and JEF Estonia together with JEF Finland in order to host the 2024 Spring FC. The Task Force meetings were also held on the day concerning various themes such as the European Election and the 2023 campaign and civic education. The day was then closed off by an informal social in order to give participants from all JEF sections the space to interact with one another and get to know each other to foster an environment of friendship and better understanding.
The final day of the FC saw votes take place on the 2024 host of Spring FC in which the joint proposal by JEF Estonia and JEF Finland received the most votes. The final votes also took place with regards to the respective resolutions discussed and formulated in the PC meetings. Following a vote on the European Elections campaign name and logo, the closing ceremony took place with participants being transported to Valletta where they were shown around and established life-long connections before their flights back home.
The 2023 edition of Spring FC could not have been made possible without the help of Aġenzija Żgħażagħ and the European Parliament Liaison Office (EPLO) with support from the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) and Farsons. The three-day event raised the bar on many levels attesting to JEF Malta’s presence as an active, dependable, and reputable national section.
