|
I cannot understand the strategy whereby Nationalist MPs and even the prime minister, are allowed to continue to spin the tale that Labour had said that “we will only receive Lm 1.5 million in EU funds if Malta joins the EU”, and get away with it!
For the umpteenth time I repeat that Labour, particularly Dr Alfred Sant, used to explain how, when from the total amount of EU funds Malta expected to be allocated (which is different from actually receiving!) one were to deduct the amount of contribution Malta was expected to make to the EU budget, the amount of money Malta would lose when the Italian protocol would have to come to an end due to EU membership; the amount of money which the government would have to give in subsidies to the agricultural sector; the millions of liri Malta’s Central Bank would lose from the management of Malta’s foreign reserves when the Euro would be adopted. And the considerable expense involved in sustaining “only Lm1 1/2 million balance in favour of Malta would remain”! This is quite different to saying that only Lm 1 1/2 million of EU funds will be received by Malta, as the prime minister and various PN speakers continue to spin.
Today we know that Dr Sant and other MLP speakers had been too generous with the PN government, since we are already in the red when comparing the EU funds received by Malta to date and the amount of money the government has paid to the EU budget, the millions lost from the Italian protocol (around Lm12 million a year); around Lm7 million a year government is paying in subsidies to the agricultural sector; the loss of around Lm12 million a year as from January 1st, 2008, which Malta’s Central Bank has been earning on its foreign reserves; and the myriad of other expenses connected with membership (Dar Malta, consulates and embassies which have been set up as a result of membership, countless authorities etc…). Adding all this results in an amount which exceeds substantially the Lm52 million a year (at most) which could be received from the EU. A good indication can also be found in the statistics laid on the table of the House by the prime minister. This shows that in the first 3 years of membership, up to the end of 2006, only 26 per cent of allocated funds had actually been utilised by the government.
So please Labour MPs, do not let PN speakers, including the prime minister, carry on fooling voters into thinking that the PN government has done Malta a big favour when joining the EU club, moneywise!
Eddy Privitera
Mosta
|
