Competitiveness and Communi-cations Minister Censu Galea called on the European Commission yesterday to look into simplifying EU funding procedures for countries with small portfolios like Malta.
Mr Galea also appealed to Malta’s financial institutions to be more proactive in finding niche markets where they could work together with the government to tap financial opportunities for small business.
Mr Galea was speaking yesterday at a seminar on the EU's EUR3.2 billion Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) organised by Forum Malta fl-Ewropa.
The CIP encourages competitiveness among European enterprises by supporting innovation and the use of information and communications technologies, promoting increased use of renewable energies and energy efficiency, as well as providing better financial accessibility to small and medium-sized enterprises.
The CIP budget totals EUR3.2 billion for the period 2007-2013 and is structured around three operational pillars: Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (EUR2.166 billion), ICT Policy Support Programme (EUR728 million) and Intelligent Energy Programme (EUR727 million).
Mr Galea called on the DG Enterprise and Industry, which administers the CIP, to “look into the specificities of small states such as Malta, to enable them to make the best use of these opportunities.
“I say this because I would like to be in a situation where CIP will be more beneficial and user-friendly for small portfolios and small states than its precursor MAP, which was administered by the European Investment Fund (EIF).”
Mr Galea recalled how the European Commission promotes the “Think Small” mentality, and suggested that Malta’s case was ideal for “putting the words into practice”.
As such, he appealed to the Commission to “look into the simplification of procedures for small portfolios without reducing those securities that such funds require.
“My second appeal is to the financial institutions of Malta to be pro-active and find those niche markets where, together with government or its agencies, they can successfully tap these financial opportunities.”
He also appealed to small and medium-sized enterprises and the public to recall “these funds are there for us to use and make the best use of them.”
“But,” he added, “there is no such thing as easy money or cash handouts. Each and every one of us must work hard for these funds. There are cumbersome procedures one cannot avoid. There is paperwork that needs to be done. This may seem insurmountable and one could lose heart, but let us keep in mind that in the end there is no gain without the necessary detailed planning.”
The CIP’s three operational pillars were discussed in detail yesterday.
Vilmos Budavari, from the European Commission’s Directorate General for Enterprise and Industry, gave a brief overview of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme.
Bernard Agius, Policy Coordinator from the Information Society Secretariat (MIIIT) explained to participants the requirements that have to be met for the first call for proposals of the ICT Policy Support Programme.
The Intelligent Energy Europe (IEE) Programme was addressed by Dr Daniele Fantechi from Open Source (Coopen) Ltd, who discussed at length the opportunities available for grants to SMEs under the funding programme for improving energy efficiency and fostering compliance with the EU energy regulatory framework.
The seminar is the first in a series on EU funding talks planned by Forum Malta fl-Ewropa.