Updated | Opposition urges government to start utilising EU funds

Adds government statement

The Opposition has called on government to start utilising EU funds - amounting to €1.18 billion - which were acquired last year by the previous administration.

The claim was made by nationalist MPs Marthese Portelli and Antoine Borg, who jointly addressed a press conference at the Upper Barakka Gardens in Valletta.

Portelli said that the Opposition was "very concerned" at the fact that government was seemingly in no rush to finalise the programming document on EU funds - a document drafted by government and submitted to the European Commission for approval before any funds can be made us of.

"There are €1.18 billion waiting to be spent on various projects but the government does not seem in any rush to acquire such funds," she said, stressing that the PN government had worked very hard to get hold of the lump sum.

Claiming that she had raised a number of parliamentary questions on what potential projects could be funded by sum, Portelli said no answers were forthcoming.

"The Opposition's stance is clear, and that is that government cannot continue to drag its feet and come to decisions on how and what to spend the money on," she said.

On his part, Borg echoed Portelli's claim and said that the funds were not negotiated for to simply sit in the proverbial shelf.

"The whole country's population is waiting to benefit from these funds and it is about time that they do," he said.

Borg said that the previous government had consistently made good use of EU funds and would have done the same had it been in power today.

In a reaction, the ministry for european affairs said it was "evident" that the Nationalist Party had failed to understand what the government was doing.
 
"The aim of today's press conference by the Opposition was to repeat arguments which have already been rebutted. It also kept persisting on its negative streak without suggesting any new proposals. It's worth noting that notwithstanding Government's invitation to participate in the programming process concerning EU Funds as early as June 2013, the Opposition has failed to do so," the ministry said.
 
"Despite this, the EU Funds 2014-2020 programming process remains on-track and in line with European regulations. It is the aim of this Government that new schemes to the benefit of both the industry and the citizens, will be issued by the end of this year.
 
This contrasts highly with what happened during the 2007-2013 period when notwithstanding  that the operational programmes were agreed in the last week of June 2007,  schemes aimed at the industry were not issued before the beginning of 2009, more than a year after the programme had been actually approved. This was never rebutted in today's press conference."