Between the 4 - 6 December 2019, the Department of Public Policy organised its annual study visit to EU institutions in Brussels. Dr Anne Marie Thake, Head of Department of Public Policy, and Mr Robert Micallef (co-ordinator) were accompanied by ten B.A. (Hons) Public Administration, MBA and B. Com. Public Policy students. The study trip included visits to various institutions including the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Permanent Representation of Malta to the EU, PES as well as the Parliamentarium.
The programme consisted of the participation in a conference on migration entitled “Towards a more efficient cooperation across border for the protection of children” organised by Missing Children Europe. This organisation aims to ensure that every EU member state has the necessary procedures and regulations in place to deal with cases of missing and/or sexually exploited children and can provide support for the victims and take steps to prevent future disappearances. Missing Children Europe is an umbrella organization for 24 Non-Governmental Organisations throughout Europe.
The Public Policy students also attended the EU conference entitled “InvestEU and the Economy of Well-Being: making the most of local know-how” held in the European Parliament. Its aim was to raise awareness and understanding on how to make use of the social aspect of the InvestEU programme of the EU.
Talks were also delivered by representatives from the office of EU Commissioner Helena Dalli and Malta House where the students had the opportunity to learn how Maltese interests are represented at the EU level.
The study visit concluded with a presentation on the work of the European Parliament Research Service. Its mission is to provide Members of the European Parliament, and where appropriate parliamentary committees, with independent, objective and authoritative analysis of, and research on, policy issues relating to the European Union, in order to assist them in their parliamentary work.