INSTITUTE FOR EUROPEAN STUDIES
JEAN MONNET EUROPEAN CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE
UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
MSIDA MSD 2080 – MALTA
TEL: (356) 23402001, 23402998
FAX: (356) 23402651
E-MAIL: europeanstudies@um.edu.mt WEBSITE: http://www.um.edu.mt/europeanstudies
MALTA AND THE EU PRESIDENCY
Starting 31 October 2014
Bio Notes
Hon Dr Ian Borg, Parliamentary Secretary for the 2017 European Presidency and EU
Funding
Dr Ian Borg was Appointed Parliamentary Secretary for the 2017 European Presidency and
European Union Funding, in March 2013. He is the youngest member of the Executive in the
current legislature. His responsibilities include the national preparations for Malta’s Presidency
of the Council of the European Union in 2017, as well as the strengthening of the European
Union fundss absorption process to achieve a more efficient and transparent practice.
Dr. Borg graduated Doctor of Laws from the University of Malta in 2012, after successfully
reading for a Doctoral degree in Laws, a Diploma in Public Notarial Practice and a Bachelors
Degree in Law.
Prior to his election to the House of Representatives, Dr. Borg served as Mayor of Ħad-Dingli.
He was elected for the first time to the Dingli local Council in 2005 and was re-elected
re
in
subsequent elections in 2008 and 2012. In 2009, he was also elected as an Executive Member of
the Local Councils Association, while also serving in the North
North Regional Committee and in the
Users’ Committee of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority. In 2011, Dr. Borg was also
elected as President of the Labour Party Councillors Section and hence served as a member of
the Labour Party Administration.
tration. From 2010, he also was a member of the Maltese delegation to
the Committee of the Regions within the ranks of the Party of European Socialists.
Dr Peter Agius, Head of the European Parliament Office, Malta
Dr Peter Agius presently heads the European Parliament Office in Malta. He graduated in Law in
2003 at the University of Malta.
Malta In 2006 he successfully completed further students in European
Law at the Université Libre de Bruxelles.
He worked for the Council of the European Union from 2002 to 2012. Dr Agius’s first tasks in
the Council included the revision of the Maltese version of the EU Treaties. In 2010 he published
It-Traduzzjoni tal-Ligi
Ligi Ewropea
Ewropea,, a book on the translation of European law into the Maltese
language.
In 2008 Dr Agius was assigned the role of political advisor to the Presidencies of the Council, a
role which placed him in charge of assisting in negotiations on dossiers related to the internal
market including the Services Directive, the Professional Qualifications Directive and on betting
and gambling.
As of 2009, he has also assisted the office of Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European
Council, on topics related to the internal market.
Dr Agius has lectured on European Law and European Affairs in several fora in Malta and
abroad, including in the preparation of officials of forthcoming Presidencies of the Council in
Warsaw, Copenhagen, Nicosia and Dublin. Dr Agius has published several opinion and research
articles on European affairs.
In his present role Dr Agius is in charge of communicating the role and the position adopted by
the European Parliament to the Maltese public. To achieve this objective the European
Parliament Office organizes weekly activities on its own initiative and with several stakeholders
thus bringing to the fore what is at stake for Malta as a result of decisions taken by the
Parliament in Brussels and Strasbourg.
Lecture Programme
Friday, 31 October 2014
Time: 2-4pm
Lecture Theatre 2, University of Malta
Hon Dr Ian Borg – Inaugural Lecture “The Obligations and Opportunities of the 2017
Presidency”
Monday, 3rd November 2014
Time: 2-3pm
Maths and Physics Room 401
Dr. Peter Agius – “The Presidency, Roles and Resources”
Tuesday, 11th November 2014
Time: 1-3pm
Engineering Lecture Theatre
Dr. Peter Agius – “The Dynamics within the Council and the Role of the
Presidency”
Thursday, 4th December 2014
Time: 2-4pm
Gateway Hall E
Dr. Peter Agius – “The Presidency’s Role in Negotiating between Council and Parliament”
Note: Venues are subject to change depending on demand for participation and current
available seating space.