Our small island, with Europe's largest car ownership after France and Germany, is hurtling toward EU membership. Just around the corner lies total gridlock, as MEPA has already warned us. Last week urgent thinking was proposed by Parliamentary Secretary Tony Abela on tackling the gridlock on our roads. As summer stupor sets in we must stay awake to the fast approaching new reality that is Europe. But what can be done to help ease this state of congestion?
Something is certainly very wrong when it takes three hours to go from Mellieha to Mosta on a normal weekend. Staging of any large event creates tailbacks along major road arteries. We seem to be suffering from chronic national sclerosis with cars as cholesterol. Frayed tempers and wasted energy only add to the problem.
Bus travellers, whether they opt for public transport out of personal choice or necessity, are performing a service to the rest of the community. By their actions they are reducing traffic congestion. Fewer cars idling on the road means less pollution, even if some of the older bus models leave much to be desired in terms of exhaust emissions. Yet those who choose to make use of public transport are actually punished in this country.
Travel by bus has never been easy, especially for the elderly. Tourists wearing hats and sunscreen may be more suitably dressed for the hazards of Maltese bus travel. Most bus stops provide no seating or shade. Health-conscious weather reporting now gives UV levels in addition to temperature and wind direction. For UV readings over 10 we are told that no matter how high your sunscreen factor, it is simply not good enough as protection from skin damage when the sun is high, especially between 1 and 2 p.m.
Funds for city transport
The European Commission is providing financial support under the 6th Framework Programme (FP6) for cities that wish to test and demonstrate the effectiveness of integrated action to improve transport.
Local councils and organisations are in a good position at the moment to bring about change. This can begin to happen once we master the art of tapping into one of the many and varied EU funding potentials. The business sector has an important role to play here.
Projects within FP6 involving sustainable transport by road, rail and water aim to achieve near zero emissions while improving safety and efficiency for bicycles, cars, trains, trams, buses. The CIVITAS II program tests implementation and transition strategies for clean urban transport. Pilot cities participating in CIVITAS take on board packages of several measures, with leading cities implementing large-scale schemes and "follower" cities implementing more restricted schemes.
Rome is one city taking part in the programme. The main objective of the Roman plan is to achieve a "zero emission" area in the historical centre and greatly reduce traffic. Rome will adopt all eight measures (see box), with an emphasis on improving public transport. This will be done by increasing the fleet of electric buses, introducing a new tram line, renewing the bus fleet and improving dissemination of public transport information.
Access control in Rome will be managed by developing the largest operational access control zone in Europe. The city will also implement IT solutions to improve traffic-light management in the inner city and further incite the development of company mobility plans. Cities interested in setting up a demonstration project under the upcoming call for this programme can find more information on the Website of the European Commission.
(http://europa.eu.int/comm/energy_transport/en/prog_cut_en.html#civitas)
A very responsible business
"Is there funding for my specific area of interest? How do I find partners in my field? When are the calls for project proposals issued? Whom do I contact for help?" Some answers to these questions were provided at a workshop held by Economic and Management Consultancy Services Ltd (EMCS) together with the EU Delegation, the Institute for Promotion of Small Enterprises (IPSE) and Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST).
"This is European taxpayers' money", cautioned EMCS chairman John C. Grech in his opening speech. Addressing representatives of the Maltese business community he added: "If you don't deliver, the EU will ask for the money back".
Focus areas for research and development (R&D) funding under FP6 include urban development, tourism, culture, agriculture, sustainable development, innovation, education and international co-operation. There are other thematic links in FP6 through aeronautics (environmental monitoring), knowledge-based society (sustainable development), food safety (agriculture) and information society (coastal and water management).
The programme is not only for academia, or big international companies. There is plenty of room for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The 2002-2006 FP6 budget for SMEs - no small sector in Malta - is more than two billion euros.
A project proposal can take up to four months to finalise, followed by the acceptance stage of four to six months. The lifespan for research, development and demonstration of the project can take two to seven years explained Gordon Pace who spoke on FP6 opportunities for information society technologies.
"If you want to do a project on your own and see the results in six months time FP6 is not the place to be. If you want to be part of a group of entities right across Europe looking for something new FP6 is the place for you," Mr Pace noted.
FP6 is not only about environment. There are several FP6 instruments which aim to blend the environmental dimension with the social and economic side of Europe. Specific measures have been taken to involve SMEs in the priority areas. Under the heading of global change and ecosystems the programme seeks to mitigate adverse trends in six areas: greenhouse gases, water and soil, desertification and natural disasters, land management, forecasting and modelling and any research which complements these areas. A second call for proposals has just opened with a closing date of December 17.
Sustainable energy systems is a large area for possible funding. The objective is to meet the energy demand while reducing emissions and promoting clean, safe, affordable energy. There is interesting potential for Malta under CONCERTO which treats managing energy demand and renewable energy supply. This includes large scale integration of renewable energy sources, eco-buildings and alternative motor fuels - all areas of study highly applicable to our islands.
Even if a company's expertise is not primarily in information technology, it is possible to participate in a programme to make IT more available to the elderly and disabled involving local councils. IT projects can also revolve around environmental risks and risk management. The second call for IST proposals has just been issued, closing in mid-October. A third call will be made in 2004.
An enterprise or organisation looking for funding should first study the priorities reflected in the calls for proposals before establishing their own project objectives. Searching for several partners from different countries is an important early step. A company profile may be uploaded onto the EU site with a description of the project you are interested in. It will not be long before you are contacted by a European partner looking for a small project involving a candidate country
Making contact
A study carried out by the Malta Council of Science and Technology has shown that local investment in research is scarce. FP6 recognises that SMEs do not usually have their own research and development facilities and therefore makes allowances. Organisations can be sub-contracted by enterprise to do research for a particular funded project.
Even small companies with no previous experience in R&D can participate in the implementation or demonstration part of a project. Small companies willing to look ahead and invest in future technology will be the ones to benefit from participation in FP6 projects. MCST can provide help with information and contacts.
While the council, based at Villa Bighi, Kalkara, can help with contacts the council does not involve itself in the actual writing of the proposal which need only be half a page long in the initial stage. A large part of the proposal will be written by the company which is co-ordinating the project.
The Malta Council of Science and Technology is the National Contact Point for the FP6 programme (Moira Dillon, tel: 2360-2139). Official documents for the FP6 funding programme including a guide for proposers financial and negotiation guidelines may be found at www.cordis.lu/fp6/sustdev.htm.