Students from Malta’s higher education institutions and Erasmus students debated the theme “Is democracy under threat?” and how to strengthen resilience in the European Union at the final plenary session of the 33rd edition of the Mini-European Assembly (MEA) held at the Maltese Parliament.

The Malta-based team representing The Netherlands emerged as the winner of the months-long debating competition inspired by the European Parliament and the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe.

Erasmus students joined the local team this year, giving the MEA a more international flavour.

Moderated by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dr David Agius, the final debate featured a range of insights from various speakers, including European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, who praised the value of involving students in international affairs. “Democracy doesn’t happen by itself, each citizen needs to participate actively,” emphasised Dr Colin Scicluna, Head of Cabinet for the EC’s Vice President for Democracy and Demography Dubravka Šuica, highlighting the theme chosen for the final debate.

The event was jointly organised by the European Parliament Office in Malta, the National Student Travel Foundation, and the VisMedNet Association.

It was televised live on the Maltese Parliament’s TV Channel and livestreamed on parlament.mt.

The MEA is a simulation of the European Parliament with close ties to the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe, enabling students to discuss topics of European relevance through the political perspective of the European country they represent.

The winning team will visit the major European Institutions in Brussels, including the European Parliament.

#MaltaDaily