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According to the BBC, Brussels's most famous symbol, the Mannekin Pis, has been signed up to take part in the EU enlargement celebrations on 1 May. The 60cm (24-inch) statue of a small boy urinating will don Slovak dress from 25 April to welcome the country into the European bloc. It is not the first time the bronze sculpture has been dressed to mark special occasions - the practice began in 1747 when King Louis XV of France donated an outfit. This could have been a good opportunity for Malta.
Four other candidate countries were granted financial support for their EU celebrations after winning a call for proposals which was issued by the Commission. We lost this opportunity as well.
All funding from our money
As far as I know, Malta did not manage to get any funds from the Union for the celebrations. However, what we do know is that about one million Maltese liri shall be spent on these celebrations. Surfing through the internet, you will find that Malta comes out tops in the extent and financing of this occasion, together with two other countries. It is true that so far, only the quarter of a million liri awarded to Welcome Europe, have been confirmed. But we all know that there are other contractors who were given a slice of the celebration cake.
Funding from the EU must be accessible
Speaking of funding from the EU, I am afraid that so far no assistance has been given to us in this regard. I cannot help but mention the Malta Council for Science and Technology. During the negotiations with the EU, the Council organised various workshops in proposal writing and in searching for funding in the EU. In effect we were informed that they were the central office that will signal to other government departments and other organisations when there are applications for projects related to their area of work. However, now that we are on the doorstep and at a time when we need this assistance even more, and when they keep telling us that we must grip all the opportunities, the workshops have stopped.
No more rhetoric
The time for rhetoric is now over. It is useless speaking of opportunities when you do not teach the people where to find these opportunities, how to go about applying for an opportunity, and how your proposal can get the rubber stamp from the Commission. In the EU this is done through a submission of proposals. More than a year has passed from the signing of the treaty with the EU, and the government has still failed to set up an office which can assist us in applying for project financing from the EU. Mention was made of Ireland in the referendum campaign, but Ireland did its homework well and set up a strong business bureau in Brussels which made sure that the Irish knew of the funding that was available and that they got that funding.
So far, such assistance is available in the private sector. Companies have been formed with the aim of finding funding for projects or funding and partners for projects. They operate on a commission basis and they provide assistance not only to the business community, but also those involved in voluntary work.
Teach us
But the question remains, how many of us are made aware of these funding opportunities from Brussels? Very few people indeed. For example, I lately learned that the Astra theatre in Gozo is looking for financing to re-build the theatre which was burnt after a fault developed in the electricity system. I am sure that with proper advice, the theatre will find financial assistance from the EU, be it in sectors such as health and safety, culture or theatre. Another example is that an organisation in Latvia is looking for a partner in a project aimed at providing services to those who serve their time to learn a trade or find a job. But how many of us are aware of these funding opportunities?
In effect I expected Welcome Europe to save some of the taxpayer’s money and apply for funding from the EU, funding which was available for these celebrations and if they were not aware of it, I cannot blame them. After all, it is the government’s responsibility to make sure that we get more than we give to the European Union.
Do not abuse our generosity
I also expected the renal support group and the cancer foundation to protest against the government for finding the money for the celebrations but not for equipment to renal and cancer patients. This would have been a gesture that would have united the country. The philanthropic organizations know that they have to incur more expenses now that we are in the EU – no more refund on VAT on medical and all other equipment and until two weeks ago they bore the brunt of the data protection tax.
I discussed this issue of no VAT refund with a friend of mine who belong to a foundation in the UK that works with people who suffer a stroke. She told them that to circumvent this, they had to set up a limited liability company so that they can be eligible for refund. Tell me the truth, do you know of any organisation that has done so? The Maltese are generous people but no one should abuse of their generosity!
In the meantime while you are celebrating the entry of Malta in the European Union, remember that part of that money could have gone to alleviate the pain and hardship of renal or cancer patients.
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