Prijoritajiet Maltin

Il-prioritajiet li ssettja l-Gvern Malti għal waqt il-presidenza tiegħu għal sitt xhur tal-Unjoni Ewropea li tibda f’Jannar li ġej, huma serji u realistiċi.
Jirriflettu r-realtajiet li fihom qed ngħixu miċ-ċentru tal-Mediterran, mingħajr ma jintefħu b’xi illużjoni li mill-presidenza tal-UE Malta żgur tista’ taffettwahom bil-kbir. Imma trid tipprova.
Trid tagħmel dan mingħajr ma tinsa l-inċertezzi kbar li jinsabu quddiem l-Ewropa bħalissa, u li jistgħu jiżbroffaw b’mod mhux mistenni mil-lum għal għada. U lanqas ma tista’ twarrab l-aġendi li ilhom jinġemgħu għal ħidma li dwarha l-Ewropej mhumiex isibu qbil bejniethom.
Il-prioritajiet li jistgħu jiddeffsu f’dan il-qasam huma limitati ħafna.
Kien ikun żball kieku l-gvern Malti ma għafasx fuq ix-xenarju tal-Mediterran fil-proġett ta’ presidenza tiegħu. Li għamel hekk b’galbu u prudenza se tagħtih aktar saħħa meta jisħaq fuq din il-priorità meta jqumu l-opportunitajiet biex jinsisti fuqha.
L-opportunitajiet jistgħu jkunu limitati akar milli nissopponu.
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Servizzi finanzjarji
Fix-xhur li ġejjin, anki jekk l-Unjoni Ewropea tibqa’ sejra bin-nofs rankatura ta’ bħalissa, sfida waħda kbira se tibqa’ tinżamm fuq quddiem, jiġri x’jiġri.
X’għandu jsir biex titrażżan l-evażjoni tat-taxxa li seħħet fl-aħħar snin b’pass dejjem aktar imgħaġġel, mill-multinazzjonali l-kbar u l-individwi għonja, hekk kif kompliet tiżviluppa l-globalizzazzjoni?
Kemm ix-xellug u kemm il-lemin tal-politika tradizzjonali għandhom kull interess li jibqgħu jagħfsu fuq das-suġġett. Hu wieħed li dwaru jsibu appoġġ popolari kbir.
Fil-Parlament Ewropew il-kumitat hekk imsejjaħ ta’ Panama qed jisħarreġ il-miżuri li jistgħu jiddaħħlu biex jikkontrollaw l-abbużi li qed isiru.
Hawn Malta, dwar li jinsab għaddej, ikkonċentrajna wisq qisna boloh, fuq il-kwistjoni tal-kumpaniji fil-Panama ta’ Mizzi/Schembri.
Mentri l-problema reali hi kif jistgħu jiġu affettwati s-servizzi finanzjarji tagħna mill-bidliet li qed jitħasslu.
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Paceville
Jien wieħed minn dawk li ma jistgħux jifhmu xinhu s-sens tal-hekk imsejjaħ pjan għal Paceville.
Donnu xi ħadd iddeċieda li jżid mal-kontroversji pjuttost vojta li jinsabu għaddejja. Niddubita kemm il-pjan għandu ċans jitwettaq, ukoll għal kwart minnu. Fih, ir-realtajiet ta’ binjiet, residenti u valuri tal-art donnhom intesew għal kollox.
Kien għamel hekk aktar minn seklu u nofs ilu, il-baruni Hausmann meta ppjanta u bena l-boulevards il-kbar ta’ Pariġi. L-arterji li fassal bidlu bil-kbir ir-realtajiet tal-belt, qalbu ta’ taħt fuq il-karattru tagħha u għamluha dak li hi llum.
Bir-rispett kollu, niddubita kemm wieħed jista’ japplika l-istrateġija ta’ Haussman għal Paceville! Wara kollox, anki hu spiċċa mkeċċi għax il-proġetti tiegħu daħħlu lill-gvern fi spiża monumentali, fin-nuqqas ta’ kontrolli finanzjarji serji.

English Version – Maltese Priorities

The priorities set by the Maltese government to define its six month stint at the Presidency of the EU, starting this January, are worthwhile and realistic.

They reflect the circumstances that we experience while living in the centre of the Mediterranean, without getting high on the illusion that with its role at the presidency, Malta will surely be able to affect events in a big way. It still makes sense to try.

This should be done without ignoring the state of great uncertainty that Europe finds itself in at present, so that unforeseen developments could emerge overnight. Nor can one ignore the agendas that have been piling up for action about which there has been a lack of agreement among European leaders.

In this context the scope for introducing new priorities is extremely limited.

It would have been a mistake had the Malta government failed to bring forward the Mediterranean scenario in its project for the presidency. That this was done with care and prudence will provide a better leeway within which to insist on it, should the right opportunity arise.

Actually such opportunity might be even more restricted than we now presume.

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Financial services

In coming months, even if the EU maintains its current operating lethargy, one big initiative will remain upfront no matter what happens.

What needs to be done to reverse the tax evasion that with the continuing globalisation, has accelerated in recent years on the part of the big multinationals and rich individuals?

On both the left and right of traditional politics, there is every incentive to steam ahead on this issue. It is one which attracts huge popular support.

At the European Parliament, the so-called Panama committee is investigating measures which could be introduced to control the ongoing abuses.

Here in Malta, like ostriches, we have focussed too much on the affair of Panama companies set up by Mizzi/Schembri.

However the real problem is how the changes that are being prospected will affect our financial services sector.

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Paceville

I am one of those who fail to understand the rationale behind the plan for Paceville.

It seems as if somebody decided to increase the stock of rather overblown controversies that are already current. I doubt whether even a quarter of the plan’s proposals have any likelihood of ever being implemented. For in it, the realities of existing buildings, residents and land values have been almost completely overlooked.

More than a century and a half ago, Baron Haussmann did likewise when he designed and built the big Parisian boulevards. The arteries he laid out changed greatly the layout of that city, deeply altered its character, and made it what it is today.

With due respect, I doubt whether Haussmann’s strategy can be applied to Paceville! At the end of the day, even Haussmann ended up in disgrace. His projects led to monumental public expenditures which were incurred in the absence of serious financial controls.