MEP Elections-ILGA Pledge: Malta has the highest percentage of signatories in the EU

5.7.9 by Patrick Attard

44% of Malta's MEP candidates signed the ILGA pledge (Be Bothered), the highest in the EU.

[Click on image to enlarge.]

Read report here (pg. 4):
http://www.ilga-europe.org/content/download/14894/91846/file/Be%20Bothered%20RESULTS.pdf

See Maltese signatories and text of pledge here:
http://patrickattard.blogspot.com/2009/06/ilga-pledge-for-european-elections.html

Thanks to ILGA, MGRM, Sandro Mangion and others for the success the Maltese gay community achieved.

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MGRM's letter to the elected MEPs: http://www.maltagayrights.net/MEPletter

MGRM's letter to the elected Maltese MEPs

In the few months prior to the European Parliament Elections, the Malta Gay Rights Movement was very busy lobbying with the prospective MEP candidates and promoting ILGA-Europe's pledge with them. The pledge was being supported by a large number of gay rights organizations all around Europe. You can read more about the pledge here.

Of the 6 elected Maltese MEPs, including the one prospective MEP, 4 have signed the pledge and 2 chose not to sign.

Signed:
Louis Grech
Edward Scicluna
Simon Busuttil
Joseph Cuschieri - prospective MEP


Did not sign:
John Attard-Montalto
David Casa


According to the campaign details published by ILGA-Europe, Malta had the highest percentage of signatories, with 44% of those contesting signing the pledge. You can find more campaign results here.

Getting the MEP candidates' signatures on the pledge is however not enough. As soon as the post-election hype was over, MGRM sent a letter to all of our MEPs, both those who signed and those who didn't. Below you can read the letter sent to the 4 signatories. The letter to the 2 MEPs who did not sign was different only insofar as they were informed that even though they chose not to sign before the election, they can still do so now. A thank you note was also sent to the remaining 11 MEP candidates who signed the pledge but were not elected. The latter 11 candidates were also invited to join in forPride March on Saturday 18th July.


MGRM's letter to Louis Grech, Edward Scicluna, Joseph Cuschieri & Simon Busuttil:

Dear _____,

The Malta Gay Rights Movement would like to congratulate you following your election as a Member of the European Parliament. We would like to thank you for being one of the 871 MEP candidates from 26 European states – 15 of who from Malta – to choose to support the pledge by ILGA-Europe which aims to promote equality and to combat discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.

In total, 139 of the newly-elected members to the European Parliament have signed the pledge. 58% of signatories were from the PES, 24% from the Green Parties, 12% from ALDE, 4% from GUEN/EGL and 2% from the EPP-ED.

The European Parliament has important legislative and political powers which ultimately have an influence on individual people’s lives. We are confident that following your signature on ILGA-Europe’s pledge, you will keep in mind the fact that every individual European citizen is entitled to the same inalienable rights of fair treatment and non-discrimination.

While wishing you all the best for your work as an MEP, we look forward to keeping in touch and to working together on issues which directly or indirectly affect the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Malta and around Europe.

Regards
MGRM