Eastern Region Newsletter #1

EASTERNREGION NEWSLETTER

INTRODUCTION

Whyanewsletter?

The Eastern Regional Council has decided to publishavirtualnewslettertwiceayeartorelive pastprojectsandpromotetheonestocome

TheEasternRegionalCouncilnewsletterwillbe published twice a year January to June and JulytoDecember

OfficeOpeningHours*

Monday-Friday 7am-3pm

*DuringthemonthofAugust:7am-1:30pm

'Mabruka',Triqil-Qasab,SanĠwann

MAINHEADLINES

WORDS FROM THEPRESIDENT

WORDSFROMTHE EXEC.SECRETARY

Mr.AnthonyChircop

Since being elected President of the Eastern Regional Council in January 2022, I have continuously worked to bring about a positive changetotheEasternRegion.Ibelievethatwith my experience as Sliema Mayor in the past 10 yearshelpedmetobetterunderstandtheLocal Council's difficulties and issues they are faced with Today, together with the newly appointed Regional Managers and Officers we can better coordinateandconductprojects.Iwelcomethis newchallengeandwilldomyutmosttobringa positivechangetotheEasternRegionalCouncils aswellastotheresidentsthatresideinanyofthe 12localities

SincethestartofmycareerastheExecutive Secretary of the Eastern Regional Council, I haveseenagradualbutnotableincreasein our responsibilities The most significant change occurred during January 2022 when the Regional structure of the Maltese Islands was altered. In addition to this geographical change,eachRegionalCouncilwasrequiredto appoint six Regional Managers and Officers. With my experience together with the increased staff, we are now more able to conductvariousprojectstothebenefitofour localities,ascanbeseeninthisnewsletter InconclusionIameagerfortheRegion'sfuture andmyaimistocontinueputtingtheEastern Regional Council on the map and earn the respect of our residents, with new and innovativeprojectsthatwillbenefiteveryone.

Ms.JeanetteGalea

CENTRALREGIONALCOUNCIL BECOMES EASTERNREGIONALCOUNCIL

EasternRegionalCouncilCoatofArms

Inthebeginningof2021theMalteseIslandshadaRegionalreform;inwhich,theCentral Regional Council bid farewell to Attard, Balzan, San Ġwann and Santa Venera Local Councils,andwelcomedGħargħur,PembrokeandSwieqiLocalCouncils.Resultantly,the Central Regional Council transformed into the Eastern Regional Council, due to the geographical locations of the new Local Council additions. Thus, the Eastern Regional CouncilimmediatelyformedapanelcomposedofmemberswithintheRegiontosubmita newemblemfittingthenewname.

ThecoatofarmsportraysthesunrisefromtheEast. TheorangetreewasfirstlocatedinLija.

ThebridgesymbolisesMadlienaandtheconnectionofcoastallocalitieswiththoseof thecountryside.

EasternRegionalCouncilCoatofArmsExplained

BOARDOFFUNDS &FINANCE

During the beginning of this legislature, the Eastern Regional Council felt that a board shouldbeconstructedforthepurposeofRegionalfundsandfinance.

BoardComposition

ThePresidentoftheRegion-MrAnthonyChircop

TheVicePresidentoftheRegionandTa'XbiexMayor-Mr.MaxZammit

LijaMayor-Mr.AnthonyDalli

TheExecutiveSecretary-Ms.JeanetteGalea

Mr.AnthonyChircop

Mr.MaxZammit

Mr.AnthonyDalli

BOARDFORMALTA CO-OPERATIONFEDERATION

In March 2022 the Eastern Regional Council met with representatives of the Malta Cooperation Federation on their service and assistance. The members agreed that a boardshouldbeconstructedtodelvefurtherintotheirprograms'potential. Futureupdatestocome.

BoardComposition

ThePresidentoftheRegion-Mr.AnthonyChircop

IklinMayor-Dr.DorianSciberras

SliemaMayor-Mr.JohnPillow

TheExecutiveSecretary-MsJeanetteGalea

Mr.JohnPillow

Dr.DorianSciberras

Mr.AnthonyChircop

EASTERN REGIONAL COUNCIL

REGIONAL SERVICE

SurveillanceofPlayingFields

TheCentralRegionalCouncilhadissueda call for the professional service of a MechanicalEngineerwhichincludes:

Amonthlyinspectionandareportof deficienciesandhazards Service to be provided again after a publiccallisissued

Meanwhilethepreviouscontractorwillbe providingthisserviceuntilanewpubliccall isissuedunderthenewregion.

PUBLIC CALL

DomesticWasteCollectionServiceusing LowEmissionVehiclesintheEastern Region

Duringthelastreform,oneofthefunctions giventotheRegionalCouncilswastoissue a regional public call for the waste collectionserviceasfrom2022.

Over the past few weeks the Eastern Regional Council has been in constant contact with localities on public call development.

ThiscallwaspublishedonThursday19thof May2022,andwillcloseonTuesday21stof June2022

ThisRegionwillcontinuetoupdatetheLocal Councilsinalldevelopments.

EASTERN REGIONAL COUNCIL

RegionalOfficers

Currently, The Eastern Regional Council has appointedthreeRegionalOfficials:

EnvironmentalManager-Ms.AndreaBorg

Brincat

ManagingOfficerresponsibleforWaste Management-Mr.RyanZammit

CulturalOfficer-Ms.NikkiDemajo

Albanese

We are currently looking into employing a Project Management Officer, European/Local FundingOfficerandanICTOfficer.

RECRUITMENT A.E.D.S

utomatedExternalDefibrillators(A.E.D.s)

ast year the Local Councils' Association CA)issuedapubliccallonbehalfofeach egion.

he Eastern Regional Council did not articipateinthisinitiative,asitwasalreadyin he process of purchasing the A.E.D machines. However, the LCA inadvertently cludedtheEasternRegioninthiscall

heEasternRegionalCouncilbelievesthatan dditional machine is always required and or this reason every Local Council will be venasecondmachine.

hiscalliscurrentlybeingsuspendeddueto nappeal. Moreinformationtobeprovided.

Startingfromtheleft:Ms.AndreaBorgBrincat,Mr. RyanZammitandMs.NicolaDemajoAlbanese

SOCIALMEDIA

@kunsillregjonalilvant

Since March 2022, through the Regional Officials,thisRegionismakinguseofsocial media by conducting an educational campaign.

So far this campaign has been about wasteandtheenvironment.Thereisalso culturalinformationrelatedtothelocalities withintheRegion.

NUDGING ACTIVETRAVEL

In November 2020 the Central Regional Council signed a contract proving collaboration with University of Malta, supportedbyTransportMalta,theMinistryof Health, the Environment and Resources Authority, the Planning Authority and the OfficeofthePresidentofMalta.

Theobjectivesoftheprojectare:

Identifyingandmappingsafetravel; Raising awareness about the need for activetravelanditsimpactsontransport, healthandtheenvironment; Provide up-to-date information infrastructures on the ground and on socialmedia.

ActiveTravelWorkshopsarebeingorganized around the Eastern Region to identify the measuresrequiredforactivetravelwithinthe locality. Two workshops were held on 22/09/21and16/03/22.

ActiveTravelWorkshop

VRTOURS

RegjunCentru360°

'RegjunCentru360°'cametofruitionIn 2020 atthebeginningofthepandemic,servingas an opportunity for both foreigners and Maltesecitizenstovirtuallyvisithistoricsites.

In 2021, the Central Regional Council submittedaproposaltotheMaltaTourism Authority(MTA)tocarryoutthisprojectona largerscale-€90,000.

ApubliccallonEPPswillbepublishedinthe comingweekstoidentifyaround120sitesin MaltaandtoprepareaVRTourforeachsite.

WEBSITE

www.regjunlvant.com

TheEasternRegionalCouncilisworkingon an official website, where one will be informedaboutanyitemsrelatingtothe RegionandtheLocalTribunal.

The website will be launched in the comingweeks.

KISBIETMINSIJA

KisbietMinsijainvolveswomenovertheage of 70 who have a story to tell about an importantmomentintheirlivesthattheyfeel proudof.

Forthisreason, interviews were conducted with women from the Eastern Region and their stories aided in preparing a performancebasedontheirlifeexperiences.

Theofficiallaunchwasheldon21/05/22at

The Imperial in Sliema. Over the coming weeks, the performance will be given in nursinghomesanddaycenterswithinthe EasternRegion.andSpazzjuKreattiv.

EUROPEAN REGIONOF SPORTS2023

Towards the beginning of 2022 the Eastern Regional Council's bid was accepted as the EuropeanRegionofSports2023.

TheMalteseSportsAuthoritywillbelaunchinga numberofinitiativesduringthesameyearand the Directorate of Education, in collaboration withtheLocalCouncilswillbedoingitsutmost to strengthen a sports culture within our educationalinstitutions.

Six representatives from ACES Europe were present in Malta from 23/05/22 - 26/05/22, wheretheapplicationsubmittedwasjustified.

Thisprojectisaimedatstudentsbetweenthe agesof11and15inpublicschoolswhowould like to learn arts but have never had the opportunity.

This30sessioncoursewillstartedon1/04/22 andwillbeheldinBirkirkaraLocalCouncil'hall.

AttheendofSeptember2022,eachstudent willchooseoneofthedrawingstobedisplayed duringanexhibitionevening.

Sponsor

VeeGeeBeewillbeofferingtheessentialtools required for these sessions. The Eastern RegionalCouncilwillprovideasketchbookto eachparticipantaswellasabottleofwater.

ARTFORALL BOLOL REĠJONALI

IncollaborationwithMaltaPost

Theaimofthisprojectwastocreatestamps asaRegion,whereeachlocalitywillhavea dedicated stamp containing a historical monumentoraplaceinthelocality,andan endemic/indigenous plant that has some significancewithinthelocality.

Theartist-LaraVella

Theofficiallaunchofthisprojectwillbeon 21/10/22attheMaltaPostalMuseum.

Theexhibitionwillbeopentothepublicfor twoweeksattheMaltaPostalMuseum.

STARTERPACK

The Eastern Regional Council will be providingsustainablestationeryto1styear students (aged 5 to 6). Equipment includes; bamboo ruler, wooden sharpener, wooden pen, paper pencil, eraser,Sproutpencilandasetof12pencil colours.

State, private and independent schools withintheEasternRegionwillbeapartof thisproject.

The aim of this project is to encourage students to opt for more sustainable stationery.

TREASUREHUNT

IncollaborationwithActionBound

The Eastern Regional Council is creating a TreasureHuntthatwillallowuserstoexplore, learnanddiscoverthe12localitieswithinthe EasternRegion.

AccompaniedbyexplorerSamandBertulBallotra,bothyoungandoldwillbeableto participate, using the ActionBound App on their mobile phones, and the Explorer Passportwhichwillbegivento7-yearolds.

Thelaunchofthisprojectwilltakeplacein 10/22.

DEVELOPMENT PLANNINGFUND

ThisRegionwelcomesapplicationsfromboth LocalCouncilsandNGOs.

2021Applications:

PietaLocalCouncilandNeptunes.

2022Applications:

ANIMALSOCIETY SEMINAR

Following the Public Consultation about the NationalAnimalWelfareStrategy,theEastern Regional Council held a seminar mainly dedicated for registered Local Council cat feeders

This seminar was held on 15/06/22, at the IndependenceGardeninSliema.

Professionalsonthissubjectwerepresentto provideeducationalinformationonrelevant matters.

Sliema Aquatic Sports Club, Birkirkara and MsidaLocalCouncil.

Startingfromtheleft:Ms.JeanetteGalea,Mr. AnthonyChircop,Ms.MandyFarrugiaandMs. JoanneDebonoGrech.

EASTERN REGIONAL COUNCIL JAN-JUN'22

PINKOCTOBER &MOVEMBER

In2021thefirsttwoeventsinsupportofPink OctoberandMovemberwereheldtoraise moreawarenessonthesubjecttoMayors, Councilors,ExecutiveSecretariesandstaff.

ThisyeartheEasternRegionalCouncilplans to hold similar events to further raise awareness about breast and prostate cancer.

Kindlyrefertothe'UpcomingEvents' section inpageiii.

REGIONAL SPORTSDAY

EveryOctobertheCentralRegionalCouncil was organising a Regional Sports Day, uniting children from Year 4 state schools. However, between2020and2021 thisevent could not be be maintained due to the unprecedentedsituation.

InNovember2022theRegionalSportsDay willresumeintothreedifferentparts.

Kindlyrefertothe'UpcomingEvents'section inpageiii.

TheEasternRegionCouncillooksforwardto various sporting activities affecting various ages,overtheyear.

JAN-JUN'22 ISSUE1

INTRODUCTORY MEETINGS

Several introductory meetings were held with each Local Council within the Eastern Regionatthebeginningofthislegislature.

Thesemeetingsservedtobetterunderstand thelocalities'problems,aswellastogetto know better Councilors and Executive Secretaries who make part of the Eastern Region.

REGIONAL OFFICERSSEMINAR

The EasternRegionalCouncilorganisedtwo informative seminars, in which the three officials were able to communicate ideas and projects which may potentially be implemented.

The seminars were held on 9/04/22 for Mayors and Councilors, and 15/04/22 for ExecutiveSecretaries

This seminar was beneficial as the Eastern RegionalCouncillistenedtosuggestionsand ideasputforwardfromthosepresent.

SOCIALIMPACT ASSESSMENT

Taking care of the Social Impact AssessmentwithintheRegionhasbeenone of the functions assigned to the Eastern RegionalCouncilinthelastreform. TheLocalGovernment-PolicyStrategyand Implementation Division has initiated discussionstodeterminehowapubliccallis issuedtoenablethisstudytobeconducted onaRegionalbasis.

AGREEMENTWITHTHE CLEANSING&MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT

On29/04/22,ameetingwasheldwiththe Director General, Mr. Ramon Deguara to discuss the Eastern Regional Council's proposals for waste separation during the festivitiesandkeepingthelocalitiesclean.

The Cleansing and Maintenance Departmentwillprovideasetofbins,fora period of 3 days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday)atlocalfeastsandwillberegularly cleanedbythesamedepartment. Nolaterthantwodaysaftertheendofthe holiday,therewillbeacleaningserviceinthe mostlyfrequentedareasofthelocality.

DIALOGUEWITHTHE MINISTERFORTHE ENVIRONMENT, ENERGYAND ENTERPRISE

On17/05/22 theEasternRegionalCouncilmet with the Hon. Miriam Dalli - Minister for the Environment,EnergyandEnterprise.

RegionalEnvironmentalManager,AndreaBorg Brincat, presented potentially implemented environmental projects within the Eastern Region.

PocketParksCollaboration

Each locality has the opportunity to identify underutilised areas to transform into a beautifulgarden.

ECAD is a non-profit organization incorporated in Sweden, the purpose and aims of which is to develop through democratic means drugfree cities and societies,andtopromoteanddevelopour common efforts against illicit drugs. The purpose of ECAD is to provide experience andknowledgeabouttheworkforfreedom from illicit drugs, and against drugs and drug abuse at local, national and international levels. ECAD will work for democracyanddevelopmentinthetowns and cities of Europe. The spread of drugs and drug abuse constitute a threat to democracy and development. The longterm aims of ECAD are to contribute to a Europefreefromdrugs.

The Eastern Regional Council strongly believesintheseprinciplesandhasrecently paidthemembershipforall12 localitiesas wellasfortheRegionalCouncil's.

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLYOFFICE

SinceJanuary2022,thisRegionhasdecided to adopt the use of more environmentally friendlysystemsby

Weencouragetheadministrativeofficesof the Local Councils to start adopting this measureassoonaspossible

WEAREMOVING!

In the coming days, the Eastern Regional Councilwillbeissuinganexpressionofinterest sothattheadministrativeoffice,aswellasthe LocalTribunalcanbebroughttoanadequate placeinoneofthe12localities.

In the past few weeks the Eastern Regional CouncilhasaskedtheLocalCouncilstopresent places that may be suitable for an administrativeoffice.Thankyouforyourhelp!