The Minister for Justice, Dialogue and the Family, Dr Chris Said, today presented the Annual Report of the Malta-EU Steering and Action Committee (MEUSAC) for 2012. Re-activated in July 2008, the Malta-EU Steering and Action Committee (MEUSAC) has established itself as the focal point for consultation on EU policy and legislation, EU Funding and EU Information.

MEUSAC Head, Vanni Xuereb, outlined MEUSAC’s main activities and achievements during 2012:

Consultation on EU Policy and Legislation

Regular Core Group and sectoral committee meetings and consultation sessions were held. Stakeholders (the 3 political parties, constituted bodies and civil society organisations) were provided with regular updates on the latest EU policy and legislative initiatives including summaries of all explanatory memoranda outlining Malta’s position in the Council of the EU on such proposals.

One-to-one meetings with Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were also organised to facilitate and increase participation in the consultation process. MEUSAC also collaborates with government ministries, entities and departments, and with the Foreign and European Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives.

Assistance on EU Funding

MEUSAC also offers personalised assistance and support to local councils and NGOs in the development of projects and the submission of applications related to EU Funding opportunities. This assistance focuses on practical advice on project planning and design, whilst ensuring the eligibility of projects against the specific programme criteria.

Last year, 574 one-to-one meetings were held with local councils and NGOs, 157 of which were held with entities that had not yet availed themselves of MEUSAC’s services. MEUSAC assisted NGOs and local councils to submit 72 projects under various EU funding programmes, representing €5 million in EU funds. Since its re-activation, MEUSAC has assisted NGOs and local councils to qualify for 145 EU funded projects worth €18.5 million in total.

EU Information

MEUSAC is the government entity responsible for EU information. Various events and activities were held throughout 2012 to promote and explain EU policies, topical issues and funding opportunities. MEUSAC also makes use of different media channels including radio, TV, newspapers and magazines and the online media such as Facebook, LinkedIn, You Tube, and Twitter (created in 2012).

MEUSAC also launched its new website in 2012 and published 22 issues of MEUSAC News that were distributed with The Times. MEUSAC also has a dedicated website for EU funds (Funding360.eu) that consists of a monthly enewsletter, webalerts, RSS feeds and partner search facilities.

MEUSAC also assists the general public in queries related to EU rights and obligations and funding opportunities.

Last year, MEUSAC organised its annual national conference, celebrating Europe Day and the anniversary of Malta’s accession to the EU, in Gozo. The conference focused on how this island region has benefited from the opportunities resulting from EU membership.

MEUSAC also organised public dialogues with Egemen Bagis, Chief Negotiator and EU Affairs Minister of Turkey, David Lidington, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom, and Lucinda Creighton, Minister for European Affairs of Ireland.

MEUSAC is also involved in a Management Partnership – an inter-institutional arrangement between the Member States, the European Commission and the European Parliament – aimed at narrowing the gap between the EU institutions and citizens.

2012 was the 4th year for the Management Partnership in Malta with MEUSAC acting as the Intermediary Body responsible for the implementation of the communication measures. 7 operations were carried out, with EU funds amounting to €249,062.66.

The operations included the promotion of an online Consultation on EU Citizenship, EU themed events during a number of major national events such as Notte Bianca, a campaign to promote the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations 2012, the development of Episode 3 of Tommy & Rosy and events for NGOs and local councils on the Europe 2020 Strategy.

In May 2012, the Ministry for Justice, Dialogue and the Family, the Department of Information and MEUSAC joined forces to launch L-Ewropa fuq ir-Roti, an initiative aimed at raising awareness on how EU funds are being spent in Malta and Gozo. In 2012, 78 different tours were organised for more than 3,600 students and citizens from various schools and localities in Malta and 15 tours were organised for more than 750 persons in Gozo.

MEUSAC Head, Vanni Xuereb, thanked Minister Said for his support from the very moment that the decision was taken to re-activate MEUSAC. Dr Said was responsible for MEUSAC, first as Parliamentary Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister responsible for Public Dialogue and eventually as Minister for Justice, Dialogue and the Family.

Dr Xuereb stated that the key factors for MEUSAC’s achievements have been:

A strong commitment and support from all the partners within MEUSAC – the Government, political parties, constituted bodies, civil society and local councils;

Close collaboration with other entities engaged in EU affairs – the two Permanent Representatives of Malta to the EU, the EU Secretariat at the OPM, the EU affairs directors and their staff in the different ministries and public entities, the Embassies accredited to Malta, the European Commission’s Representation and the European Parliament’s Office in Malta.

A dynamic management team and a highly motivated and dedicated staff who ensure that the services offered by MEUSAC are of the highest professional calibre possible.

The willingness to be flexible and to adapt structures and procedures to respond to the needs of stakeholders.

He also announced that a new Delegation Agreement is expected to be signed between the European Commission and MEUSAC very soon and that the agreement will secure up to €250,000 per annum in EU funds for the next four years for MEUSAC to implement joint communication initiatives.

In his concluding remarks, Minister Chris Said praised MEUSAC’s continued efforts in the last year through which its mission statement was practiced in its entirety.

The Minister said that MEUSAC acted even more as an informative and consultative body on EU-related matters in terms of policy; it proved once again that it had the professional resources and capabilities to assist Local Councils and Non-Governmental Organisations to benefit from more EU funds; and it acted once again as an important information-provider to the general public as far as EU-funded projects are concerned.

Minister Said particularly referred to the successful initiative L-Ewropa fuq ir-Roti that was launched last year and that provided a tangible experience for thousands of Maltese and Gozitans who could visit and see for themselves what was actually carried out in Malta and Gozo through EU co-funding.

He also lauded MEUSAC for its priceless assistance to hundreds of volunteers in the social, cultural and other realities of Malta to successfully apply for EU-funding for their projects to materialise. Through MEUSAC’s assistance, different projects have since been carried out from which Malta and Gozo have benefited and will continue to benefit, said Minister Said.

The Minister concluded by saying that “MEUSAC’s Annual Report proves how right Government was in setting up this Committee, which was one of the first initiatives that Government did at the start of the legislature five years ago when it appointed a Parliamentary Secretary responsible for Public Dialogue.” He expressed satisfaction that he was the first Cabinet member responsible for Public Dialogue and hoped that the concept of consultation will continue to foster in future legislatures.

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