RE-BUILD EU: TRATALIAS AND ĦAL GĦARGĦUR STRENGTHEN EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

Focus Europe ETS – The Network of European Territories – welcomes the strengthening of institutional dialogue between Għargħur Local Council in Malta and the Municipality of Tratalias, as part of the European project RE-BUILD EU – Reconnecting European communities through Building, Understanding, Identity, Local Development.

Approved under the CERV – Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme, Town Twinning call, the project is led by Għargħur Local Council, with the Municipality of Tratalias as the Italian partner. The initiative aims to enhance the historical and architectural heritage and identity of local communities as a means of civic participation, European dialogue and local development.

During the institutional discussions with the Maltese community, the President of Focus Europe ETS, Dr Giuseppe Cappai, presented the association’s activities and the work undertaken by its network of member municipalities, highlighting the role of local areas in building European partnerships capable of generating lasting relationships and tangible impacts.

Heritage, memory and European identity

RE-BUILD EU aims to create opportunities for citizens, local elected representatives, young people, cultural professionals and associations to meet through cultural workshops, public events and exchange activities exploring the relationship between historical memory, European identity and local development.

The link between Tratalias and Ħal Għargħur has particular symbolic value: two Mediterranean communities with strong local identities and significant cultural heritage have chosen to discuss shared challenges, from heritage protection to citizen participation, and from recognising the value of local roots to building a shared European vision.

The role of Focus Europe

For Focus Europe ETS, the project represents another step in the work undertaken since 2007 to support local authorities, European project development and cooperation between local areas. Through initiatives such as RE-BUILD EU, Europe is experienced as a tangible space for dialogue, collaboration and community development, rather than as a distant dimension.

Focus Europe will continue to support the local areas in its network in developing new European opportunities, in the belief that citizen participation and collaboration between local communities are essential to strengthening a sense of belonging to the European Union.