Xi jmiss dwar l-ewro?

Ikolli mistoqsijiet hekk: Xi jmiss li jsir dwar l-ewro? X’inhuma l-iżviluppi li wieħed jista’ jistenna f’dal-qasam? Kif tista’ tissaħħaħ il-munita tal-ewro fiż-żmien li ġej?
Wieħed jifhem għaliex iqumu dawn il-mistoqsijiet wara s-sensiela ta’ proposti li tqanqlu minn diversi sorsi dwar il-passi li jridu jittieħdu, fosthom mill-gvern Taljan, il-Parlament Ewropew, il-President tal-Kummissjoni Juncker, il-President Franċiż Macron, biex ma nsemmix istituti akkademiċi u għaqdiet Ewropej. Ħafna mill-proposti jixtiebhu.
L-aktar li jagħmlu sens huma dawk li jikkonċentraw fuq żviluppi konkreti li jistgħu jitwettqu fi żmien qasir. Dawk li jħasslu miżuri federali li jressqu lejn għaqda ekonomika u monetarja sħiħa sas-sena 2024 jew ta’ warajha, jidhruli spekulattivi.
Pereżempju, hemm ħtieġa li l-għaqda bankarja titwettaq sal-aħħar. Għad baqa’ miżuri x’jittieħdu biex is-sorvelja u l-ħarsien tal-banek fuq bażi Ewropea jkunu kompluti; u biex tiddaħħal skema ta’ assigurazzjoni fuq id-depożiti. Progress f’dawn iż-żewġ oqsma għandu jitqies bħala prioritarju.
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KNISJA PROATTIVA
Knisja Kattolika proattiva b’mod publiku fl-oqsma differenti tal-ħajja tal-pajjiż hi xi ħaġa ta’ min jixtieqha, anke meta dan l-attiviżmu jieħu xeħta kritika.
Minkejja dak kollu li jintqal bil-maqlub, il-verità hi li soċjoloġikament u kulturalment, il-personnel tal-Knisja jiġbed fil-maġġoranza tiegħu lejn il-lemin. Il-probabbiltà tibqa’ allura li meta tqum il-kritika, dan aktar jiġri b’indirizz lejn xi jkun qed jagħmel ix-xellug politiku milli l-lemin. L-iżviluppi tal-aħħar snin jikkonfermaw din it-teżi.
Xorta waħda nemmen li aħjar Knisja hekk, milli waħda maqbuda fl-għanqbut tal-imgħoddi, nieqsa minn proposti għall-futur ħlief fejn jidħlu l-privileġġi li seta’ baqagħlha. Bil-kundizzjoni madankollu li Knisja kritika taċċetta wkoll li se ssir kritika “kontra” tagħha.
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NUQQAS TA’ NIES IMĦARRĠA
Punt li dwaru ma naħsibx li ffokajna biżżejjed sa issa hu li fis-soċjetà tagħna, għandna wisq nies li tul ħajjithom jibqgħu nieqsa minn taħriġ li jgħodd għalihom u li jekk jeħduh, joffrilhom opportunitajiet għal ħajja aħjar illum u għada.
Veru li qed jitħaddmu miżuri biex jonqsu n-numri ta’ tfal subien u bniet li jitilqu kmieni mill-iskola jew ma jispiċċawx tajjeb l-istudji “sekondarji” tagħhom. Imma lil hinn minn hekk, x’aktarx li neħtieġu inizjattivi li jkomplu jsusu wara n-nies, anke dawk f’impjieg, biex inħeġġuhom jidħlu għal aktar taħriġ.
M’hemmx għalfejn ngħidu, jekk inizjattivi bħal dawn se jsibu suċċess, iridu jkunu qed joffru taħriġ tassew validu, imfassal tajjeb u li jittrasmetti “snajja” meħtieġa u aġġornati. Anke min jibqa’ nieqes mit-taħriġ malajr se jinduna jekk dak li qed jiġi offrut lilu jew lilha hux ta’ kwalita inferjuri jew le.

English Version – What’s next for the euro?

I get people asking such questions: What needs next to be done concerning the euro? What developments are to be expected in this field? How can the euro be made stronger as a currency in future?

One understands why these questions arise in the wake of the list of proposals about the steps that had better be taken, advanced by a range of actors, including the Italian government, the European Parliament, the President of the Commission Juncker, French President Macron, not to mention diverse academic and political institutions in Europe devoted to European unity. Many of their proposals actually overlap.

What make best sense in my view, are those proposals that concentrate on concrete steps forward which can actually be implemented in short order. By contrast, proposals which describe federal measures that should lead to full economic and monetary union by the year 2024 or 2025 appear to me to be speculative, more than anything else.

For instance, the need is to ensure that a banking union is fully implemented. Measures are still pending by which the monitoring and back up for systemically important banks, applying on a European basis, become operative; as well as to launch a European bank deposit guarantee. Progress on these two fronts should be given total priority.

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A proactive Church

A Catholic church that is proactive publicly in the different areas of national live is desirable, even when such activism takes a critical turn.

To be sure, despite all that is proclaimed to the contrary, the truth is that sociologically and culturally, the Church is staffed with people who in their majority, lean towards the political right. The probability therefore is that any critical attitudes that emerge are going to address what the left is doing, rather then the right. Developments in recent years bear out this thesis.

Even so, I believe it’s better to have this kind of Church, rather than one still caught in the mindsets of the past, lacking all projects for the future except those that are meant to safeguard any privileges it might still retain in society. With the condition however, that such a Church should also accept that it will itself have to face contrary criticism.

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Lack of trained people

Too many people in our society fail to receive the training for which they are suited, and that would provide them, if they get it, with opportunities for a better life, today and tomorrow. It’s a topic on which up to now, as a society we have failed to focus adequately.

True, measures are being implemented to reduce the number of school dropouts and of students whose stay at secondary school is just pro forma. But beyond these programmes, we quite likely need other initiatives by which to urge people, even those already with a job, to go in for further training.

Needless to say, if such initiatives are going to succeed, they must really provide a valid training, one that is well designed and that passes along needed and up-to-date skills. Even those who lack training, will quickly understand whether what they’re being offered is up to scratch or not.