Finance Minister Edward Scicluna said today that the cash injection, by means of a loan facility, given to Air Malta and authorised by the European Commission, "was a one time opportunity and the national airline won’t be given a second chance, so it is crucial we get it right,” he explained

The European Commission had authorised a loan facility worth €52 million for Air Malta to prevent the collapse of the national airline.

The minister was replying to concerns expressed by Philip Fenech, a GRTU representative, during one of a series of public consultation sessions organised by the Malta-EU Steering and Action Committee (MEUSAC). Mr Fenech expressed concern over Air Malta’s future and the fact that flights to Libya had been stopped as a result of the war there, which comes at a time when the national carrier is attempting to break even.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Prof Scicluna said, on the national airline’s future and the losses it reportedly incurred.

Four years after the European Commission launched its Europe 2020 strategy in a bid to enhance technology, sustainability and inclusivity, half way through its term, the Commission launched a public consultation so that it could evaluate the progress made by EO Member States since the strategy kicked off back in 2010.

The EU has set a deadline, 2020, where it is expected that all member states reach such targets in areas such as education, environment, research innovation, environment, climate change and social matters, among others.

Today’s session, which mainly tackled economic growth, saw the presence of members of civil society and the head of MEUSAC, Vanni Xuereb. The session was chaired by Norma Saliba. Two sessions have been held already, one in Malta and the other in Gozo. The sessions coincide with the 10th anniversary of Malta joining the EU.

At the beginning of the session, Prof. Scicluna said that a number of countries are still trying to recuperate from the global economic crisis, likening the recovery period to that of a person who would have been hit by some heavy vehicle and is convalescing.

On Malta’s situation, he said "we have won back credibility from the IMF and the Commission; I only know how Malta was looked at in the past, and now.

“They are walking the walk because we promised we would reach certain targets, and we have done so and intend doing so.

“We took action and not simply engaged in empty words,” he said.

On free childcare, he said Malta was the first European member state to introduce free child care in a bid to see more women join the labour force.

He lambasted the fact that medicines had been found in the government-owned ‘neglected’ medical stories in Madliena.

The Ministry for Health had carried out the inspection to examine the state of the stores after €455,000 worth of expired medicines were found at Boffa Hospital, while an inspection at a facility at Mater Dei led to the discovery of further wastage amounting to €35,000 in medical material.

Mary Gaerty, a director at Green Skips Services Ltd, said that Maltese people did not want to do certain jobs any longer and as a result she had to employ a good number of foreigners. The company employs 36 individuals, 20 of which are foreign nationals.