Forum Malta fl-Ewropa was set up post-accession to act as reference point on EU-Malta relations, providing information and support to civil society and the private

sector. Forum’s CEO DR GABRIELLA PACE explains how the entity has evolved and what its main tasks are. She was speaking to David Kelleher

When Malta joined the European Union in 2004, the political reality changed so much that the government, through the Foreign Affairs Ministry, felt the need to restructure its EU-related structures.

Before 1 May 2004, the bulk of work focused on providing society with information about membership, how the acquis would affect different stakeholders and how civil society and the private sector could gear up for membership.

When Malta became a member, the government suddenly found itself having to deal with an increase in legislative volumes, consultation documents and information being released daily from the EU institutions. A more efficient machine was required and this led to the creation of Forum Malta fl-Ewropa.

“Forum Malta fl-Ewropa was set up in 2005 to address a post-accession scenario and to incorporate the functions of the Malta-EU Information Centre (MIC) and the Malta-EU Steering and Action Committee (MEUSAC),” CEO Dr Gabriella Pace said, stressing the point that Forum is not merely another name for the MIC.

“The MIC fulfilled an important role pre-accession, disseminating information about the European Union and EU membership to the public and business community. However, although the dissemination of information via various channels remains important, the role of the Forum encompasses more than that,” Dr Pace explained.

So what is the role of the Forum? Is it just another EU-related body?

“The Forum acts as a reference point on EU-Malta relations and has three main tasks. As I said, it will continue to provide information on the EU. However, the Forum is taking a proactive role to facilitate a higher level of consultation with civil society and the private sector and to ensure that stakeholders’ concerns are taken note of,” she explained.

Dr Pace said the idea is to give stakeholders the opportunity to discuss issues of importance to their particular sector. Since her appointment in September of last year, the Forum has organised consultation sessions on topics such as food additives, qualifications frameworks and market access. Public seminars were also held on the EU and opportunities for NGOs as well as on the priorities of the German Presidency. A number of other events are already lined up for the coming weeks.

“These meetings have all been extremely successful. We have brought together stakeholders in a particular sector and together with experts in the field they are able to discuss topics that affect their business or profession, developments and initiatives taken by the EU and on any initiatives or contributions from the Maltese side which should be included in the EU’s agenda.

“These initiatives allow us to engage with society and receive important feedback that will be used by the government when formulating Malta’s position prior to presenting it at EU level,” Dr Pace said.

She said the Forum was not there to take over from other departments or ministries: “We need to work as a team so that better results can be achieved. In fact the Forum has an ongoing good working relationship with the EU directors in the different ministries, as well as with entities such as the Malta Business Bureau and the European Parliament Information Office.”

Maintaining open and direct lines of communication is important and the Forum also serves as a sieve for information arriving from the EU. The Forum, in turn, then passes on this information to interested parties in civil society.

The Forum’s third role is that of creating greater awareness of the different funding schemes operated by the EU. These are mainly targeted to the private and civil sector and the Forum aims to provide assistance and general support to make the most of the available funds. Forum does this in collaboration with the various contact points on EU funding programmes.

Dr Pace considers this to be one of the Forum’s most important roles and rather than just telling people what opportunities exist, she has felt the need to have successful individuals, entities or companies give their own experiences.

“It is very important to disseminate the experiences of those who have successfully tapped EU funds, be they businesses, schools, local councils and so on.

“We have our own TV programme on TVM for which we are getting very positive feedback and which is giving us very good results. We have changed the format somewhat in that it is not a discussion programme but an opportunity for viewers to ‘meet’ Maltese people either working with the EU, offering EU-related assistance as well as those who successfully obtained funding. We believe that this format is encouraging people to applying for funding and to better understand the EU,” Dr Pace said.

But are individuals and organisations aware of the resources available?

“I believe there is a lot of information on funding being dished out locally, however there are some areas of funding that are not that popular or less tapped, for example in renewable energy or even ICT. Some funding programmes, such as the 7th Framework Programme, are perhaps more complex and perceived as being geared more towards research rather than business. And that is why, I believe, the Forum has an important role to play. Our contribution is to help fill in the lacunae and to encourage and help individuals or groups to be successful,” she said.

One of the major drawbacks for those seeking EU funding is the need to be able to part-finance the project or to have partners in other countries. Even here, the Forum is actively providing aid through the Civil Society Fund.

Dr Pace said the fund is used to assist constituted bodies and representative organisations to keep abreast of developments and to enable them to better inform their members about EU matters related to their respective fields of competence and interest.

“Although this is important, these organisations also need to be present at meetings or conferences abroad and not all of them have the financial resources to do so. Through the fund, we try and help them, particularly NGOs, to participate effectively and lobby their interests at European level.”

Dr Pace said the funding could be used by NGOs and civil society to organise conferences, seminars and other fora of discussion in Malta directly related to the acquis communautaire on topics which are of interest to them.

The money can be used to cover expenses related to participation in conferences, seminars and meetings abroad, to cover expenses incurred in bringing over officials from the EU, or from institutions directly related therewith to discuss topics with an EU dimension of direct interest to their members and to attend familiarisation visits and specialised immersion programmes of the EU institutions and other bodies.

“This fund is administered by the Forum and forms part of its budget; we can finance up to 80 per cent of the costs. But that little bit helps them and makes all the difference. Last year, requests for funding were so numerous that we had to increase the original budget from Lm120,000 to Lm140,000. Basically, we are helping them help themselves,” Dr Pace explained.

Is the Forum satisfied with the feedback from the public and business community?

“People are responding very well to our initiatives. The fact that the phone does not stop ringing is a sign that we are succeeding. It is clear that Forum is the first point of reference. We are working in an environment that is constantly changing and therefore there will always be some form of interest in the EU and its affairs. People want to be informed and we are trying to facilitate the flow of information and provide timely replies to requests.

“For example, to help NGOs, we are sending them information that is of relevance to their organisation. They receive the key points of directives or reports issued by the EU and then it is up to them if they want to follow up a particular issue. It is a two-way process,” Dr Pace said.

This two-way process is set to develop further in the coming months, Dr Pace said. A recruitment exercise is under way to boost its HR capacity and this will, in the medium term, allow Dr Pace to carry out more of what she would like to do.

“HR limitations always hold you back from doing more. I am lucky to have a young and dynamic team that is supportive and is doing a great job, but since we are currently short-staffed, there is always more that can be done. In the coming months, I would like to engage more with the public and to be in an even better position to address their concerns,” Dr Pace said.

She said the Forum would be continuing to build on what there is.

“For example, in October of last year Forum launched the European Business Test Panel. This is a unique group of around 3,000 companies of various sizes and business sectors, located in all EU member States.

“These companies are given the opportunity to provide their views to the European Commission on some of the major business-related policies at pre-proposal stage.

“Around six to eight questionnaires are sent to these businesses every year and their replies are used to influence important decisions on issues for the business environment in Europe, for the purpose of ensuring better regulation.

“The EBTP was available after 2004 but for some reason Malta never took part. Today companies are showing interest. It is an opportunity for business to be proactive and we encourage them to do so, to ensure that Maltese interests are also represented,” Dr Pace said.