The suspension of European Union funds for education programmes is a tough example of what membership is all about. It should serve as an eye-opener that the Commission does not tolerate even the slightest of management weaknesses – as it described the situation at the European Union Programmes Agency – when it comes to using its money.
And so it should be.
We are used to doing things the Maltese way. For us, a mistake in the date means nothing and will be simply corrected with the stroke of a pen. The non-submission of a boarding pass may lead to a reprimand but we will still accept that the person involved did go where he was supposed to go, especially if he provided receipts for accommodation costs.
For us, these are trivialities. For the EU, it’s a serious matter.
Their bureaucracy is much stricter and more rigid than ours; they want to make sure that each and every cent they pay up is accounted for, and they oblige each and every country to follow procedures to the letter. They need to exercise control over billions of euros each year, and if they ignore the few thousands that might go astray, then they risk losing millions.
It does not matter to the Commission that there were only 11 Maltese beneficiaries, out of a total of 1,033, who were not in line. It does not matter that only €14,000 of €5.8 million was involved. Each and every beneficiary must receive each and every euro according to the standard requirements.
This incident will help us pull our socks up. The Commission did not close its doors to us. It simply rapped us on the knuckles to bring our house in order. It has given us the chance to put everything back on track, and within a few months it will be so. The government has already given its assurance that it will adhere to the recommendations provided by the Commission, word for word. I am sure that the lesson has been learnt.
True, tens of students will be affected by the suspension of such funds. For them, it is a lost opportunity and their plans have been scuppered, so it is good that the government is considering some form of compensation. These students will be “losing” one year but the good thing is that they know they will have another opportunity, something that students of generations past did not have.
It is also positive that Education Minister Dolores Cristina apologised personally to the students involved when they met her in front of the House of Representatives last Wednesday. Admitting a mistake is the first step towards making sure it will not be repeated.
Three points need to be considered here. I have already touched on the first one above. We must understand that we have to be more professional and disciplined in our approach. European regulations impose a number of procedures that need to be followed, detail-by-detail, rule-by-rule. And we now know that if we do not abide by these procedures, we will suffer the consequences.
While we must all do the best we can to put everything right – and not only in this area, but also in other sectors which benefit from European Union funds – on the other hand it must be pointed out that the problems we are facing with the EU, big as they are to us, are just a fraction of what other, bigger countries are facing in the prevailing circumstances.
It does not justify our weaknesses, but compared to the problems Greece has caused to the rest of the EU, ours are a drop in the ocean.
The Labour Party has made a big deal out of this issue, to gain as much political mileage out of it as possible. They have attacked the government for not taking the necessary precautions to avoid the embarrassment.
In particular, Labour spokesman on education Evarist Bartolo has been scathing in his remarks and writings, often verging on the personal when making reference to Minister Cristina. It’s no surprise. Mr Bartolo has often gone down this road in his criticism of the education sector (and not only). It seems he cannot resist adding a personal tinge to the political content of his words.
He should remember that, were it for him and his colleagues, the EU funds from which hundreds of students have benefited in the last few years, and will continue to benefit from in the years to come – and many other millions of euros for other sectors – would not have been available, had Malta become a Switzerland in the Mediterranean. It takes some cheek for Labour to criticise the government on the suspension of EU funds when, if Labour had had it their way, these funds would have never existed in the first place.
He speaks of students who will miss out because of the government’s mistakes. Yes, unfortunately, this has happened. But Mr Bartolo forgets to mention how many thousands of young people were unable to further their studies or were forced to choose careers that were not to their liking in the 1980s because of the numerus clausus policy adopted by Labour. No apology was ever forthcoming on that.
Come to think of it, today’s students probably do not know what numerus clausus means. Mr Bartolo should perhaps start one of his lectures by explaining the meaning to them.
This is not to mention what opportunities today’s young people have compared to what the students of the 1980s were offered.
Of course, two wrongs do not make a right. And the suspension of these funds should serve as an example that we cannot take things for granted with the European Commission.
We must abide by the regulations if we want the money to keep flowing in. We must have all the mechanisms requested by the Commission in place to ensure that such a mishap is not repeated. We must see that the administrative structures are well oiled and functioning properly to guarantee that all those students who would like to pursue their studies and add to their experience are able to do so.
After all – and it has been said many times – education is the foundation stone of a better Malta.
[email protected]