Sugar subsidy scheme
F.O.I. deputy president Adrian Bajada led an FOI delegation at a meeting on June 17 with Competitiveness and Communications Minister Censu Galea to discuss details of a scheme that should have been in place on Malta's accession to EU membership to...
F.O.I. deputy president Adrian Bajada led an FOI delegation at a meeting on June 17 with Competitiveness and Communications Minister Censu Galea to discuss details of a scheme that should have been in place on Malta's accession to EU membership to operate the subsidy on sugar in terms of the Accession Treaty.
The Minister was accompanied at the meeting by Permanent Secretary Louis Cilia and public relations officer Alessandro Farrugia.
Following the various consultations in previous months between FOI representatives and senior officials from the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry for Rural Affairs and the Environment, the matter was left to the Ministry of Competitiveness to implement.
At this meeting Mr Galea gave the FOI delegation details on the scheme following Cabinet's approval. Government will be paying this subsidy to sugar importers and to those who use this commodity as a raw material combined in their products in an effort to keep the cost of living in check and to maintain industry's costs at a stable level.
The sugar subsidy scheme was agreed to with the EU as part of the package of negotiated conditions for Malta after representations were made by the FOI in support of industry.
The FOI had criticised the administration in the media during these past weeks for not finalising the scheme in time for Malta's accession as an EU member state. Now that it is finalised the FOI expected the procedures to be smooth and clear in their application.
FOI members will be informed in the coming days on how firms will be able to apply for the subsidy.
At this meeting the FOI deputy president was accompanied by FOI vice-presidents Joe Pace and Anthony Tabone, as well as FOI director general Edwin Calleja.
Following this meeting the sugar subsidy scheme was announced by the ministry and due to the various queries of FOI members, the FOI held a meeting with ministry officials to demand an extension to the proposed closing date of the scheme.
The scheme has now been extended to next Friday.