Pleasures yet to come

The government wants to retain the present structure of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development which consists of the government and organisations representing employers and workers, according to Dr Said.

But a number of organisations feel left out from this structure and are seeking a reform within the MCESD or some other form of representation. Among the organisations seeking to form part of the MCESD are the Council of Women, the association of local councils and various members of civil society in Gozo, Dr Said said.

In order to usher such organisations into the arena of public dialogue, the government is preparing to restructure the currently dormant Civil Society Committee, which will be made up of representatives of various NGOs who will discuss issues and propose solutions that can be passed on directly to the government, or to the MCESD.

This committee is expected to be set up by mid-September.

"During the past four months, I have met with all big organisations, about 80 NGOs and 42 local councils," he said. By the first week of September he would like to have met all the organisations that would like to participate in the public dialogue.

The meeting held last Monday between the Prime Minister and the MCESD was a highly positive one when the social partners discussed how to improve the council and strengthen the consultation process further.

"We are suggesting that the council should not only discuss matters but ought to come up with concrete proposals and documents," he said.

By the beginning of October, the government expects the council to produce written documents with proposals on the pre-budget document, flexicurity, rent law reform and new tariffs for water and electricity.

The concept of consultation is often confused with the ability to dictate to the government. "Consultation does not always lead to consensus and, in such cases, it is the government that has to decide the way forward."

In many cases, discussions are carried out to see how to take certain decisions rather than what decisions to take. In this context, Dr Said referred to the recent decision to privatise Malta Shipyards and liberalise public transport.

He is now working on the reform of local councils and is meeting with each local council to see how to make them more effective.

Regarding the rent laws reform, the feedback from the MCESD is that this is a much-needed reform that ought to be implemented as soon as possible, although there are still reservations on particular issues.

On alternative energy sources, the Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs had appointed a committee of experts, which is preparing a draft strategy. Once this is ready, it will be open to consultation.

Dr Said does not think this move is overdue, quipping that "nobody ever imagined, up to two years ago, that there would be such an explosion in oil prices."

Another consultation process planned involves improving and simplifying regulations for the self-employed and small and medium enterprises. The slogan for this reform is Red Carpet, Not Red Tape.

The government is tackling economic issues because of what is happening on an international level. Action had to be taken quickly and in the right way. This is why some social issues are being sidelined for now, he said, claiming that issues like divorce and other civil rights were "pleasures yet to come".