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 governments, 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 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.