Addressing the European Parliament, former Prime Minister Alfred Sant said that if over €21 billion unspent funds by the EU in 2014 had been managed under provisions that are devolved fully to national government, their absorption rates would have been much higher. Dr. Sant said it is strange to still find that so many billions of investments allocations under the EU’s own budget have again remained unspent from last year to this one. ‘We’re looking at over €21 billion euros which have not been spent on the Structural Funds, on the Cohesion Fund,on the Agricultural Fund, on the Migraton Fund,’ emphasised Dr. Sant.
Dr. Sant said the EU is not a federal system, but the procedures it follows in funding projects are more onerous that those followed in the US.’We proclaim that more new investment is a paramount requirement if a European economic recovery is to be sustained. So it is strange to still find that so many billions of investment allocations under the EU’s own budget have again remained unspent from last year to this one.
Methods defining the management of cofunded projects are too frequently retarding project implementation. Too often, they are applied on a one size fits all basis. Of course, the problem has been with the Union since its inception.’
Dr. Sant said that one would have hoped that by now, following the last years of economic crisis, efficient solutions to the challenge of spending allocated monies in time would have been discovered. ‘The contrary seems to have happened. For instance, the impression is that state aid rules are being applied too stringently to project proposals. Projects delayed or reformatted mean more costs, less economic impact. Here too, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.’ Dr. Sant told the European Parliament.
Maltese Version
IL-UE MA TONFOQX €21 BILJUN FUQ FONDI FL-2014
Alfred Sant qal lill-Parlament Ewropew li €21 biljun li ma intefqux mill-Unjoni Ewropea fuq il-fondi tal-Migrazzjoni, tal-fond Strutturali, tal-Fond tal-Koesjoni u tal-fond Agrikolu żgur kienu jintefqu aħjar li kienu amministrati mill-gvernijiet nazzjonali. Dr. Sant qal li huwa stramb li allokazzonijiet ta’ tant biljuni ta’ ewro fil-budget tal-Unjoni Ewropea baqgħu ma ntefqux mis-sena l-oħra għal din is-sena.
Minkejja li l-UE mhix sistema federali, il-proċeduri addottati fuq il-proġetti huma ħafna aktar ikkumplikati minn dawk fl-Istati Uniti. ‘Waqt li qed insostnu li biex l-ekonomija Ewropea tirkupra jeħtieġ investiment ġdid, ma nifhimx kif biljuni ta’ ewro għall-investimenti fil-budget tal-UE baqgħu ma ntefqux. Il-metodi wżati fuq il-proġetti qed idewmu l-implimentazzjoni tal-proġetti. Ħafna drabi qed jithaddmu fuq bażi taż ‘one size fits all’. Din il-problema ilha fl-Unjoni Ewropea mit-twaqqif tagħha.’
Dr. Sant qal li wieħed kien jittama li wara l-aħħar snin ta’ kriżijiet ekonomiċi, instabu soluzzjonijiet effiċjenti biex jintefqu l-flus allokati għall-proġetti tal-UE. Pereżempju, qal Dr. Sant, l-impressjoni hi li r-regoli ta’ ‘State Aid’ qed ikunu applikati b’mod strett fuq il-proposti tal-proġetti. Id-dewmien fl-implimentazzjoni tal-proġetti ifisser aktar spejjeż, anqas impatt ekonomiku. ‘Hawnhekk ukoll it-triq għall-infern hija imwittija b’intenzjonijiet tajba’. Temm jgħid Dr. Sant.
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