Lat month’s issue of ‘The German Times’ (page 4 – Politics Section) refers to a report drawn up for the European Parliament investigating why most of the European Union’s new member states do not make use of the funds made available to them to help the poorer regions catch up with the more prosperous ones.
A table of the money made available by Brussels but left unclaimed by the new member states puts Malta right at the bottom: in 2007 Malta claimed only 23% of the 2007 entitlements. According to this table we have the worst record in using the EU structural funds and we are leaving a lot of the money unclaimed.
The report says that both the EU institutions and the new member states are to blame for this situation. The new member states feel overwhelmed by the red tape and the conditions imposed by Brussels. Most of their civil servants find it too difficult to apply for these structural funds and they have not been trained adequately how to grab the opportunities presented by these funds.
The report says that so much of the funds made available by Brussels are left unclaimed by the new member states that “on average and depending on the program, only a third to one-half of funds these countries are entitled to was actually claimed between 2004 and 2008.”
It is true that the older member states at first had similar difficulties getting the funds as well but it is equally true that things will not fall in place on their own for new member states like Malta. There has to be an action plan to ensure that we make full use of the funds we are entitled to and that we use these funds to help us invest in projects that will enable us to really improve the quality of life on these islands.
Months ago we followed the tragic-comic attempt by the Malta Tourism Authority to claim some of these funds to finance a three-year agreement with a marketing agency. The Ministry of Tourism has a unit to deal with EU matters but they were not involved in the work needed to submit a successful application. There were also totally unrealistic expectations how these funds could be actually used.
The PN government talks a lot about the millions of euro that we are entitled to from Brussels. The amounts are often inflated and the contributions we make to Brussels go unmentioned. Government also lacks a serious action plan to train civil servants and make the best use of them to ensure that we make the best use of the EU funds available to us.

Feeling cheated
Over the last few months I have been meeting voters who tell me that they have always voted for the Nationalist Party. I have been hearing this statement: “I will definitely not vote Nationalist in the next general election.” When I ask them whom they will vote for, I get a range of answers. Some tell me that they will not vote at all. Others tell me that they are undecided and will make up their minds closer to the coming elections. Others, especially in the Sliema, St Julians, Swieqi and Pembroke area tell me that they be voting for Alternattiva Demokratika like they did in the June 2004 elections for the European Parliament. Some tell me they will be voting for the Labour Party for the first time in their lives.
I always ask these people why they have decided to break with their personal and family tradition and not vote for the Nationalist Party in the coming election. I get practically always the same answer: “I feel cheated. For many years we were told by the Nationalist Party that money was no problem and that the deficit did not exist and the public debt was no problem. Just five years ago, on the eve of the 2003 general election, we were being told the country’s finances were on a sound footing and that jobs, prosperity and better governance, a healthy environment and a better quality of life were all within our grasp. The Nationalist Party has certainly not delivered what it promised just over five years ago.”
They tell me that their families are finding it hard to make ends meet as high prices, taxes and bills devour a big chunk of their disposable income. Pensioners have also seen their quality of life deteriorating and health costs have increased and are undermining their pensions and savings.
No wonder then that the majority of the people will be voting for change at the next general election.