Former Prime Minister Alfred Sant, rapporteur on behalf of the S&D, presented a draft report focusing on the issue of new investments across the European Union during a meeting of the Economic Monetary Committee of the European Parliament (ECON). The report entitled “European Semester for economic policy coordination: implementation of 2016 priorities” is expected to be adopted in ECON on the 11th of October and later put forward for approval at the Plenary of the European Parliament. The committee was also attended by representatives of the national parliaments who are invited to debate the country-specific recommendation from the EU level and translate them into their own actions. The Maltese Parliament was represented by Charles Mangion (PL) and Claudio Grech (PN) who also addressed the issue of investments in the EU.

Dr Sant introduced the discussion by focusing on the implementation of recommendations and difficulties encountered by member states.

“Given the existing boundary conditions for how policy is defined in the EU and the eurozone, what recommendations based on the Commission’s Country Specific Reports’ can we best emphasize? What consensus, or at least some agreement, about the best way forward regarding investment can be achieved over as wide a political spectrum as possible? – while keeping our report meaningful to all those millions of EU citizens who would like to share in the prospects of a greater economic growth than we have become accustomed to in recent years.”

Dr Sant spoke on the role of National Parliaments to assume a more meaningful and assertive role in the consideration of national reports, at European and at national levels and present them to voters as if they were their own.

“National Parliaments are there to defend the national interest. The European Commission and the European Parliament are there, so we say, to defend the European interest. What may make sense at pan-European level, even when applied to national economies, can seem like poison, on the ground, at national level, whether applied on a short term or on a long term basis. Yet our constituencies are the same, at national and at European levels. All this should be considered against the background of how Country Specific Recommendations (CSRs) are being implemented by governments.”

Dr Sant said that based on the Commission’s assessment, the proportion of fully or substantially implemented CSRs has more than halved over the 2012-2015 Semester cycles. At the same time, the part of recommendations with limited/no progress has risen from nearly 30% in 2012 to more than 50% in 2015.

Dr Sant said that the EC reduced its CSRs in 2016 – as in the previous year – to concentrate better on each country’s urgent and specific challenges, and to increase national ownership of the CSRs.

“Still there is a problem of a weak and deteriorating record in the implementation of CSRs. As a result, a fundamental problem of EU economic policy coordination is that it hardly functions at all. Do we need, beyond that, a big further push to promote new investment? Should it just be private investment? Or should more also be done to mobilize public funds?” asked the Maltese MEP.

The Maltese MEP said that economic and social divergences have become a huge challenge with potentially dangerous repercussion for the European cohesion. “How would this play against the need to ensure that the Stability and Growth Pact is never never breached? In all this, how can the growing economic and social divergences between different parts of the Union be corrected and reversed?” pointed the S&D Rapporteur.

You may follow Dr Sant’s intervention on this link:

Maltese Version – ALFRED SANT JIPPREŻENTA RAPPORT DWAR INVESTIMENTI ĠODDA FL-UE

L-Ewroparlamentari Malti Alfred Sant, rapporteur għal grupp tal-S&D, ippreżenta rapport dwar investimenti ġodda fi ħdan l-Unjoni waqt laqgħa tal-Kumitat Ekonomiku u Monetarju tal-Parlament Ewropew (ECON). Ir-rapport bl-isem “Is-Semestru Ewropew għal koordinazzjoni tal-politika ekonomika: implimentazzjoni tal-prijoritajiet għas-sena 2016” jiġi addottat fl-ECON fil-11 ta’ Ottubru u wara jitressaq għall-approvazzjoni fil-Plenarja tal-Parlament Ewropew. Attendew rappreżentanti tal-parlamenti nazzjonali fosthom Charles Mangion (PL) u Claudio Grech (PN) f’isem il-Parlament Malti u indirizzaw lill-kumitat dwar l-investimenti fl-UE.

Dr Sant introduċa d-diskussjoni billi ffoka fuq l-implimentazzjoni u d-diffikultajiet li jiltaqgħu magħhom l-istati membri biex iwettqu r-rakkomandazzjonijiet li tagħtihom il-Kummissjoni.

“Minħabba l-politika tal-UE u ż-żona ewro, liema rakkomandazzjonijiet fir-Rapport tal-Kummissjoni dwar ir-Rakkomandazzjonijiet Speċifiċi l-aħjar nenfasizzaw? Liema qbil jew ftehim huwa l-aħjar biex f’firxa politika wiesa’ kemm jista’ jkun, nagħżlu l-aħjar triq għall-investiment? – u fl-istess ħin inżommu r-rapport relevanti għal dawk il-miljuni ta’ ċittadini Ewropej li jixtiequ jgawdu mit-tkabbir ekonomiku li drajna bih tul is-snin.”

Dr Sant tkellem dwar ir-rwol tal-Parlamenti Nazzjonali biex jassumu rwol aktar validu u assertiv fil-konsiderazzjonijiet tar-rapporti nazzjonali, kemm fuq livell Ewropew u kif ukoll fuq livell nazzjonali biex jippreżentawhom lill-votanti daqs li kieku kienu tagħhom.

“Il-Parlamenti Nazzjonali qegħdin hemm biex jiddefendu l-interessi nazzjonali. Il-Kummissjoni Ewropea u l-Parlament Ewropew qegħdin hemm, ngħidu aħna, biex jiddefendu l-interessi Ewropej. Dak li jagħmel sens fuq livell Ewropew, anki meta applikat fl-ekonomiji nazzjonali, jista’ jidher valenu fuq livell nazzjonali, kemm jekk applikat fuq perijodu qasir u kemm fuq perijodu twil. Iżda l-kostitwenti tagħna huma l-istess, kemm jekk fuq livell nazzjonali u kemm jekk fuq livell Ewropew. Dan kollu għandu jiġi kkunsidrat fl-isfond ta’ kif qed jiġu applikati r-Rakkomandazzjonijiet Speċifiċi għal kull Pajjiż (CSRs) mill-gvernijiet.”

Dr Sant qal li skont l-analiżi tal-Kummissjoni, il-proporzjon ta’ kemm qed ikunu implimentati s-CSRs naqas b’aktar bin-nofs għas-semestri ta’ bejn l-2012 u l-2015. Fl-istess ħin, il-parti tar-rakkomandazzjonijiet li fuqhom ma jsir kważi l-ebda progress żdiedet għal kważi 30% fl-2012 għal aktar minn 50% fl-2015.

Dr Sant qal li l-Kummissjoni Ewropea naqqset is-CSRs fl-2016 – l-istess bħal kif għamlet fis-sena ta’ qabel – biex tikkonċentra aħjar fuq l-isfidi l-aktar urġenti tal-pajjiżi, u biex iżżid s-sehem nazzjonali tas-CSRs.

“Xorta hemm problema dwar l-implimentazzjoni tas-CSRs li qed tiddgħajjef u tiddeterjora. B’hekk il-politika ekonomika ta’ koordinament tal-UE mhix qed taħdem sew. Aktar minn hekk, għandna bżonn li nimbottaw u nippromwovu investiment ġdid? Għandu jkun privat biss? Jew għandna nagħmlu aktar biex inċaqilqu fondi pubbliċi?” staqsa l-Ewroparlamentari Malti.

Alfred Sant qal li d-diverġenzi soċjali u ekonomiċi saru sfida kbira u jistgħu joħolqu riperkussjonijiet fuq l-għaqda Ewropea. “Kif se jaffettwaw dawn id-diverġenzi fl-isfond li niżguraw li l-Patt ta’ Stabilita` u Tkabbir Ekonomiku ma jinkiser qatt? F’dan kollu, kif nistgħu nikkoreġu d-diverġenzi ekonomiċi u soċjali li dejjem qed jikbru bejn partijiet differenti tal-UE?” saħaq ir-Rapporteur tal-S&D.

Tista’ ssegwi d-diskors ta’ Dr Sant fuq dan il-link:

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