The European Commission’s report on the economic and social situation of Gozo was the main issue raised by stakeholders during the first in a series of six public dialogues that MEUSAC is organising to mark the 10th anniversary of Malta’s accession to the European Union (EU) and to evaluate Malta’s progress in achieving the Europe2020 targets.

The theme of this public dialogue was ‘Gozo in the European Union.’ Minister for Gozo, Anton Refalo, Parliamentary Secretary for EU Funds and the Presidency of the EU Council in 2017, Ian Borg, and MEUSAC Head Vanni Xuereb, tackled a number of topics affecting Gozo in the EU.

At the beginning of the event, Dr Vanni Xuereb spoke of MEUSAC’s role to assist civil society, local councils and the private sector in Gozo to benefit from EU membership. He announced that in the coming weeks MEUSAC will be reopening an office in Gozo to strengthen MEUSAC’s presence on this island.

Minister Anton Refalo spoke of the economic, social and political impact of EU membership on Gozo. He referred to problems that the island faces such as its double insularity, the status of the island as a region in the EU, the geographical situation and. Other problems relate to unemployment as well as the absence of foreign direct investment.

Dr Refalo pointed out that according to a survey by the National Statistics Office (NSO), the growth rate of Gozo is smaller than that of Malta and the difference between the two islands has actually increased in recent years.

Minister Refalo also spoke of the benefits of EU membership for Gozo. Over this past year, his Ministry has collaborated with Parliamentary Secretary Ian Borg to design a strategy for the new EU financial programming period 2014-2020.

The Minister said that various stakeholders were consulted to ensure that the new financial programmes meets the aspirations of the people and make the best use of European funds. Moreover, EU funds will contribute to the island’s socio-economic development and enhance its competitiveness.

Minister Refalo also referred to the importance of continuing to invest in human resources, namely through investment in education, health and culture. Investment in infrastructure is also necessary. This includes the transport sector, business centres, and an additional broadband cable.

The Minister for Gozo concluded by saying that he looked forward to Gozo participating in the Maltese Presidency of the EU Council in 2017 and to reaching the targets set in the Europe2020 strategy.Parliamentary Secretary Ian Borg reiterated the Government’s commitment that for the new EU financial programming period, 10% of the Structural Funds will be horizontally invested on each priority identified for Gozo for these seven years.

Dr Borg announced that following negotiations, the Government has ensured that the allocation for Malta under the Fisheries Fund 2014-2020 will increase by 50% compared to the previous financial programming period. Gozitan fishermen will also benefit from this increase.

“In fact, the Government has recently allocated funds from the Fisheries Fund 2007-2013 to renew the infrastructure inside the Marsalforn harbour,” Dr Borg said.

Opposition Spokesman Antoine Borg, who also participated in the dialogue, spoke of the benefits reaped during the first 10 years of Malta’s EU membership and of the need for funds allocated to Gozo to be distributed in specific sectors. He stated that the Opposition is ready to collaborate with the Government.

Representatives of unions and members of the public who attended this activity also had the opportunity to intervene. Among the issues raised were what the precise amount of EU funds allocated to Gozo, as well as direct involvement by Gozo’s representative organisations in decision making.

Moreover, it was also stated that NSO statistics about Gozo need to be reflect reality especially in the tourism sector. The importance of creating quality work opportunities in Gozo was also highlighted.

These public dialogues are funded by the EU as part of the Management Partnership between the European Commission and MEUSAC.

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