NGOs receive Lm140,000 for EU-related activities

Foreign Minister Michael Frendo distributed Lm140,000 to 58 NGOs and unions benefiting from the Civil Society Fund administered by the Forum Malta fl-Ewropa for activities related to EU affairs.

Dr Frendo said one of the aims of Forum Malta fl-Ewropa is to enhance the engagement with civil society, including consultation where it really matters, which is an important factor in the development of the country.

Closing a seminar organised by Forum Malta fl-Ewropa, the minister said that since 1999, the government allocated substantial funding to unions and NGOs in the context of EU familiarisation programmes and projects. The sum so far is in the region of Lm2 million (€4.6 million).

"The government is committed to the development of civil society in Malta and to its participation and partaking of the benefits offered by Malta's membership of the EU," he added.

The theme of the seminar was Civil Society And The EU: Addressing The Issues While Tapping Opportunities.

Dr Frendo said this year there has been a huge response from civil society for the Civil Society Fund: 128 organisations, 53 of which were first-time applicants, applied for grants requesting a total of Lm739,335 for activities related to the EU.

He added that as a result of this increased interest, the sum originally allocated for the 2006 Civil Society Fund was increased by Lm20,000 to a total of Lm140,000 with a view to accommodate new NGOs that had applied for the first time.