The Nationalist Government was proven wrong in saying that 10% of EU funds were enough for Gozo. Gozo should have been given 31% of EU, not 10%, argued Mr Frank Psaila, an expert on the development of Gozo during a Conference entitled ‘What the Gozitans expect from Europe’ organised by the Gozo Branch of MEP Alfred Sant at Calypso Hotel, Marsalforn, Gozo.
Frank Psaila said that during its negotiations with the European Commission in 2001/2002, the Maltese Government inculcated in the Gozitans the prospects for Gozo to catch up first with the level of the economic development of Malta and then with that of Europe.
At that time Gozo’s development level was 58% of the EU average whereas that of Malta was 82%.
So Gozo lagged well behind Malta and even much farther behind the EU in terms of economic development.
The Goverment allocated to Gozo 10% of the EU funds received by Malta.
The Governmnet based the 10% allocation on the size of the Gozo population which was around 7% of the Maltese population and topped it up by a further 3% as a catching up effort.
Frank Psaila said that as Permanent Secretary for Gozo he beseeched the Government to increase the allocation as 10% were certainly not enough.
Psaila said he had based his proposal on irrefutable points.
His position was that the land mass of Gozo was 27% that of the island of Malta, its coast 31% and its agricultural area 36%. He had maintained that the % of EU funds for these areas of development in Gozo should at least be of the same relative size of each area.
The Government stuck to its gun on the issue.
The result was that Gozo slipped further behind.
As a matter of fact Gozo’s development level fell from 58% in 2003 to 54% in 2015.
In contrast, Malta’s development level during the same period went up from 82% to 96% average.
On another point that is relevant to the level of development, Frank Psaila said that Gozo does not have a bright future within the EU.
To drive this point home he said that in a report on the economic and social situation of Gozo caried out by the European Commission in 2012, it is emphatically pointed out that
GDP growth rates in Gozo are higher than in most UK, Spanish and Nordic islands;
the accessibity of Gozo is much better than for many island regions in the EU;
unemployment in Gozo is genereally below average in comparison to other European island regions;
that there is no extreme difference between development in Malta and Gozo while other EU regions have larger internal disparities;
though the economic peformance of Gozo is lower than the national average, the inhabitants of Gozo can easily benefit from business and employment opportunities offered by the capital city.
The Commission’s concluding remark says that “the analysis of the report shows that economic and social situation of Gozo is similar to the one of many other European islands.”
The EC said in October 2012 that the Gozitans could easily be employed in Malta; that unemployment in Gozo compares favourably with other EU islands; that access to Gozo is relatively higher than other EU islands; that the fact that economic activity in Gozo is low should not be a problem for Gozitans because they can benefit from development and opportunities in Malta.
“Bright indeed is the future of Gozo within the EU,” Mr Psaila remarked.
Maltese Version – GĦAWDEX KIEN JISTĦOQQLU 31% TAL-FONDI EWROPEJ, MHUX 10%
Għawdex kellu jingħata 31% tal-fondi Ewropej u mhux 10% għax il-fatti juru li Gvern Nazzjonalista kien żbaljat meta qal li 10% tal-fondi Ewropej kienu biżżejjed għal Għawdex. Dan qalu Frank Psaila, espert tal-iżvilupp ta’ Għawdex waqt il-Konferenza bl-isem ta’ ‘X’jistennew l-Għawdxin mill-Ewropa’ organizzata mill-fergħa Għawdxija tal-Ewroparlamentari Alfred Sant fil-Lukanda Calypso, Marsalforn, Għawdex.
Frank Psaila qal li waqt in-negozjati mal-Kummissjoni Ewropea fl-2001/2002, il-Gvern Malti ikkonvinċa lill-Għawdxin li permezz ta’ sħubija fl-UE, l-ewwel Għawdex kien se jilħaq il-livell ekonomiku ta’ Malta u wara jilħaq dak tal-Ewropa.
Dak iż-żmien il-livell ta’ żvilupp ta’ Għawdex kien ta’ 58% tal-medja tal-UE filwaqt li ta’ Malta kien ta’ 82%.
Allura Għawdex kien għadu lura sew komparat ma’ Malta, u kien għadu lura aktar meta kkomparat mal-UE f’termini ta’ żvilupp ekonomiku.
Il-Gvern ta’ dak iż-żmien alloka għal Għawdex 10% tal-fondi Ewropej li tirċievi Malta.
Il-Gvern ibbaża l-allokazzjoni ta’ 10% fuq il-bażi tad-daqs tal-popolazzjoni Għawdxija li kienet madwar 7% tal-popolazzjoni Maltija u żiedha bi 3% oħra biex mingħalih iżid l-isforz biex Għawdex tilħaq lil Malta.
Frank Psaila qal li bħala Segretarju Permanenti għal Għawdex kien ħeġġeġ lil Gvern biex iżid l-allokazzjoni għax persentaġġ ta’ 10% ma kienx se jkun biżżejjed. Psaila qal li bbaża l-proposta tiegħu fuq punti li wieħed ma jistax ma jaqbilx magħhom.
Il-pożizzjoni tiegħu kienet li l-kobor ta’ Għawdex kien ta’ 27% ta’ dak tal-gżira ta’ Malta, il-kosta tagħha kienet 31% ta’ dik ta’ Malta u ż-żona agrarja 36%. Hu saħaq li l-persentaġġ ta’ fondi Ewropej għal dawn l-oqsma ta’ żvilupp f’Għawdex għandhom tal-inqas ikunu tal-istess daqs ta’ persentaġġ li għandhom dawn l-oqsma.
Il-gvern baqa’ ma ċċaqlaqx mill-pożizzjoni tiegħu. Ir-riżultat kien li Għawdex waqa’ aktar lura. Bħala stat ta’ fatt il-livell ta’ żvilupp ta’ Għawdex naqas minn 58% fl-2003 għal 54% fl-2015.
B’kuntrast, il-livell ta’ żvilupp ta’ Malta fl-istess perijodu żdied minn 82% għal medja ta’ 96%.
Fuq punt ieħor li hu rilevanti għal-livell ta’ żvilupp, Frank Psaila qal li Għawdex ma għandux futur pożittiv fl-Unjoni Ewropea. Biex jispjega dan il-messaġġ hu rrefera għal rapport li sar mill-Kummissjoni Ewropea fl-2012 dwar is-sitwazzjoni ekonomika u soċjali ta’ Għawdex. F’dan ir-rapport il-Kummissjoni saħqet li:
Ir-rata ta’ tkabbir tal-Prodott Gross Domestiku ta’ Għawdex huwa ogħla minn dak tal-maġġor parti tal-gżejjer tar-Renju Unit, Spanja u l-gżejjer Nordiċi;
L-aċċessibilita` ta’ Għawdex huwa ħafna aħjar minn dak ta’ ħafna reġjuni gżejjer fl-UE.
Ir-rata ta’ qgħad f’Għawdex ġeneralment hija taħt il-medja ta’ reġjuni gżejjer oħra Ewropej.
M’hemmx differenzi kbar bejn l-iżvilupp ta’ Malta u ta’ Għawdex filwaqt li reġjuni tal-UE għandhom ħafna aktar disparitajiet interni.
Għalkemm Għawdex għandu attivita` ekonomika inqas mill-medja nazzjonali, l-abitanti ta’ Għawdex jistgħu faċilment jibbenefikaw mill-kummerċ u l-opportunitajiet ta’ xogħol offruti mill-Belt Kapitali.
Il-Kummissjoni kkonkludiet billi qalet li “l-analiżi ta’ dan ir-rapport juri li s-sitwazzjoni ekonomika u soċjali ta’ Għawdex hija simili ta’ ħafna gżejjer fl-Unjoni Ewropea.”
Il-Kummissjoni Ewropea f’Ottubru tal-2012 qalet li l-Għawdxin jistgħu faċilment isibu impjieg Malta; li l-qgħad f’Għawdex jikkompara tajjeb ma’ gżejjer oħra tal-UE; l-aċċess għal Għawdex huwa relattivament ogħla min dak ta’ gżejjer oħra Ewropej; il-fatt li l-attivita` ekonomika f’Għawdex hija baxxa ma toħloqx problemi għall-Għawdxin għax jistgħu jibbenefikaw mill-iżvilupp u l-opportunitajiet ta’ Malta.
“Tassew sabiħ jidher il-futur ta’ Għawdex fi ħdan l-Unjoni Ewropea!” qal b’mod ironiku s-Sur Psaila.
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