Malta Week will be organised again in the European Parliament between 4 and 7 October this year.

My colleague Louis Grech MEP and I launched the initiative in a joint press conference a few days ago.

This is the first time that all of Malta's five MEPs are teaming up together to co-organise an event of this kind and scale. We hope that our coming together can transmit a clear message that politicians can and do rise above the political fray and work together. In actual fact, certainly at the level of the European Parliament, cooperation among Maltese parliamentarians is far the rule rather than the exception even if it is the odd clash that hits the news.

Malta Week will build on a similar initiative that was held three years in Strasbourg but this time it will be held in Brussels and it will be a much bigger and a much more ambitious project.

It will consist of a number of cultural activities rolled out over the span of a week with the objective of strengthening Malta's visibility in the heart of the European institutions in Brussels. This will be done by presenting a taste of Maltese culture through a mix of art, music, dance, crafts, food and drink.

The innovative part of the event will consist of a big tent that will be set up in the vast public square just outside the premises of the European Parliament off Luxembourg square in Brussels. This is the first time that a tent of this size will be set up in this area and the space will be converted into a typical Maltese square or pjazza projecting a portrait of everyday life, both traditional and contemporary, in Malta.

The pjazza will house a series of initiatives that will have the flavour of Maltese culture as their common thread.

An exhibition of works by leading Maltese artists will be set up alongside audio-visual presentations of life in Maltese squares and landscapes. Maltese craftsmen will be present in the pjazza to showcase their work on the Maltese clock (l-arlogg tal-lira), on silver filigree, pottery, glass-blowing and lace-making.

Maltese food and drink will be present in full galore, from the ever-present cheeselets (gbejniet) and crackers (galletti) to lampuki and rabbit pies to honey rings (qaghaq tal-ghasel) through to the local soft drink, beer and Maltese wine.

Moreover, during the week, within the parliamentary building, the main canteen in Parliament will also be serving typical Maltese dishes to thousands of EU officials. Three main events will be organised under the tent along with a number of side-events taking place also outside.

The first will be the opening event which will be presided by Malta's EU Commissioner John Dalli and which will feature a typical Maltese wedding reception with a sumptuous menu of finger-food and featuring actors in period costume accompanied by a full Maltese brass band.

The second will be an evening concert featuring the best of Maltese contemporary music and voice talent with Chiara and Ira Losco in the lead.

The third will be another evening concert, this time featuring traditional Maltese music, the brass band, old Maltese musical instruments and folk dance.

Malta Week has been timed to take place during a week when the plenary session of the European Parliament will be meeting. This means that all 737 MEPs from twenty-seven countries will be present, along with their assistants and the full equipe of officials of the European Parliament and the press corps from all over Europe. And since the tent will be set just outside the most prominent entrance, the thousands of people walking in and out of Parliament every day of that week will get a taste of Malta.

But no doubt Malta Week will also attract Maltese officials who are based in Brussels as well as Maltese tourists who plan to fly out to Brussels during that week for the occasion. It would be a pleasure to see there!

Needless to say, none of this would have been possible without significant financial resources - which we did not have. So over the past months we have been knocking doors and I have to say that I was overwhelmed with the massive positive response from companies in the private sector who have generously come forward to support this initiative. We are almost on course to reaching our estimated budget so we would welcome all the support that we can get.

Companies who are interested in supporting Malta Week can reach me on my email address.

Published: The Times of Malta: Wednesday, 16 June 2010