Ministers call for fair comparisons on Lisbon Agenda achievements

Analysis of Malta's performance as compared to the Lisbon Agenda targets had to consider the fact that Malta joined the EU five years after the EU set out this agenda, Competitiveness Minister Censu Galea has insisted. One had to see what had been achieved in the context of the time Malta had had, he said at a meeting of the European and Foreign Affairs Committee.

The Lisbon Agenda, agreed at a summit in Lisbon in March 2000, aims to make the EU "the most dynamic and competitive knowledge-based economy in the world" by 2010.

Mr Galea, who chairs the cabinet committee on competitiveness, said the committee had been given the specific task to come up with a plan of action whose drafting would include all sectors. He hoped that the drawing up of this plan would start in the coming weeks.

Labour MP Leo Brincat asked whether evaluation for the competitiveness benchmarking exercise could be done by an independent body.

Mr Galea said that at the moment, the country was not analysing itself. The comparisons were not being made with past performance, but with the way other countries shaped up.

Nationalist MP Mario de Marco said that while it was true that Malta had joined mid-way through the agenda's term, it was also true that other countries which joined the EU with Malta were faring better.

Why was Malta featuring so low in the Lisbon Agenda scoreboard, was it because of a lack of coordination? For example, was Malta doing enough to ensure that enterprises could be set up with the least red tape possible? What was being done to expand business? What was being done to encourage people to invest in ideas? Only in this way could the country grow, he said.

Mr Galea said that a lot still had to be done in this area. Indeed, this was a process which went further than the Lisbon agenda targets. It was an issue which required a change of mentality and this would take long.

Labour MP Evarist Bartolo said he felt there was a total divorce between education and the economy. Whatever the university said, there was no strategy binding these two sectors together. The concepts of entrepreneurship should be introduced from primary school level. Only two per cent of university graduates, were opting for self-employment.

What Malta had were training camps to pass examinations. One generation of youths after another were being corrupted by stipends. He clarified that financial reasons should not prevent anyone from going to the university, but a system to encourage initiative should be introduced.

Joe Zammit Tabona from Malta Enterprise said he agreed with Mr Bartolo on the need for more education links with industry.

There had to be an educational process, a strategy for the country. The corporation had a five-year strategy, but there clearly was a need for longer term planning.

He felt stipends should not be given to everyone but to students following courses which the country would benefit from.

A culture change was needed. The Maltese were good at copying but not at being innovative. In 2003 under the Meda programme, Malta Enterprise had approved Lm2.8 million in grants and Lm5.4 million in guaranteed loans.

Committee chairman Jason Azzopardi asked whether Malta Enterprise had a specific plan for Gozo.

Mr Zammit Tabona said that a special programme for Gozo was being drawn up.

Leo Brincat (MLP) said that a culture change was needed even within the public sector itself. For a start, there needed to be greater awareness about competitiveness.

Education Minister Louis Galea said the Lisbon Agenda affected his ministry in all sectors - education, employment, research and youth.

In the employment sector, the aim was to have 70 per cent of the people fit to work actually in employment. The problem here was the low participation rate of women. Progress had been made and the government had announced measures in the budget to push this process further. More women than men were graduating from the university. This would eventually be reflected in the economy.

More women would also return to employment once more child minding centres were opened. Some 40 child minding centres had already been opened, and regulations regarding standards for these centres would be published soon.

A scheme had also been launched through which employers would be given grants to refurbish properties for use as child minding centres. They would also be given subsidies on the wage paid to the child carers they engaged.

But people sending their children to these centres also had to share the expense involved. In education, the minister said, very useful work was being done to give the people the best education opportunities. The number of students in post secondary courses had risen from 10,600 in 1994 to 19,000 last year.

The number of students who were still in education at age 17 was 66 per cent last year, up from 45 per cent in 2002 and 43 per cent in 1999.

The number of 19-year-olds in education was also rising from 33 per cent in 2002 to 44 per cent at the moment.

The number of university graduates with degrees in mathematics, science and technology only amounted to seven per cent, however, and the number had to grow.

Labour MP José Herrera asked if it was the time for positive discrimination through incentives in these sectors. Perhaps the entry criteria for the "popular" courses should be raised since many students were taking these courses only because they were finding it easy to do so.

Michael Asciak (PN) said students should remain free to choose whichever subjects they wanted.

What could perhaps be done was to better inform students on the potential of finding employment with their chosen subjects.

Dr Galea said he agreed that students had a right to choose their subjects but while there should be opportunities for all, one could not ignore the emerging economic needs. Proposals, he said, were being prepared for a reform on this issue.