Malta to seek EU aid for flood repair works

The government is expected to write to EU enlargement commissioner Gunther Verheugen informing him that Malta would be applying for assistance from the solidarity fund following the severe flooding this week.

Malta is not yet an EU member but could be one of the first acceding countries to tap EU funds.

Sources close to the government said that over the past days the government has been working behind the scenes on the funding application procedures.

The ministry of foreign affairs, the ministry of rural affairs and the environment, the ministry of finance and the ministry of transport are working hand in hand on the matter.

"There is no guarantee, but it is possible that Malta will get money from the solidarity fund. The government does not want to raise expectations but everyone should be aware that getting funds from the EU for this purpose is possible," the sources said.

Alternattiva Demokratika, through its spokesman on EU affairs, Arnold Cassola, who is also secretary general of the European Greens, has asked the EU Commission whether Malta would be eligible for funding from the solidarity fund established after the flooding in Germany last year, in view of the serious damage incurred by the country over the last days.

Officials from the EU Commission in Brussels have confirmed to Prof. Cassola that as an acceding country to the EU, Malta is formally eligible for such funding, which can be obtained through the department known as DG Region.

The extent of the aid would depend very much on the way the claims are motivated and documented by the Maltese government.