Helping companies acquire EU funds

Malta will definitely benefit “greatly” from funding in the next European Union Budget for the period 2013 – 2019, according to Morgan Parnis, associate director of Impetus Europe Consulting Group, which helps companies identify EU funding opportunities.

“In a sense, Malta is a victim of its own success in that it has used the first round of funding so well that it may risk of falling into the second category of beneficiaries. This may mean it could get proportionately less than it did last time.

“Understandably, the countries that have been less effective at investing the funds allocated at the last Budget and which were initially poorer even upon accession, such as Romania and Hungary, have made less progress. In fact, Malta’s GDP was 79 per cent of the EU’s GDP average last year, up from 77 per cent in the two previous years.

“It is interesting to note that Malta is now richer than most regions of southern Europe. Since its accession to the EU in 2004, EU data has shown that Malta has received twice as much as it contributed, leaving a positive balance in Malta’s favour of about €350 million. We do not envisage this changing considerably in the next Budget,” he says.

Mr Parnis explains that Impetus has helped Maltese companies acquire over €2 million in EU funding to date, “not to mention other funds that have been awarded to the continental partners who form part of our network and with whom we have collaborated on a wide range of projects.” Impetus’ success rate on funding of Maltese projects is over 90 per cent, he points out.

Impetus Europe Consulting Group Ltd was formed in 2005 as an independent private company which provides professional consultancy and assistance to Maltese, European and international private companies, public institutions and NGOs wishing to participate in EU or Euro-Mediterranean projects. The company is also active in the public affairs realm and provides political and communication strategy development and implementation services.

“The set-up of Impetus Europe is a practical solution for businesses and institutions which have long been seeking professional and specialised assistance prior to their embarking upon opportunities offered by the European Union. It also acknowledges the demand for EU consultancy and public affairs-related services within the Mediterranean.”

Maltese companies, he says, are generally knowledgeable on a “high level” on specific EU policy areas and their knowledge is “miles ahead” of their EU counterparts. “This is partly thanks to the government and its emphasis on informing the public, and partly thanks to companies like ours.

“The extent of EU opportunities makes it impossible for a single organisation to learn about existing or expected projects. Impetus plays an important role in the screening, selection and searches of private, public and non-profit organisation partners.”

Impetus has a wide network of contacts with regional entities in EU member states. Over these last six years it is has garnered experience on projects across the European Union, on the continent, as well as in the Mediterranean region.

“We get in touch with private and public enterprises on existing funding opportunities. Impetus has a number of companies that it retains on its network to whom it submits information on veritable and practical funding projects.”

EU funding in Malta is available for areas such as the environment, roads, energy, tourism, human resources, rural development, fisheries and Gozo “which suffers from double insularity”.

“I am not including the inter-regional projects that are a source of funding for urban development, local government, arts and crafts, and the maritime sector. These projects are available to organisations on an inter-regional level and we work with our network on such programmes on a continuous basis,” he says.

In order to help companies find international partners for EU projects, Impetus uses the vast range of contacts that it has gathered over the years through participation in myriad events and projects.

“One contact generally generates several other contacts which means it is never difficult to find the right international partner for local companies, government entities or NGOs. Our network consists of similar companies to ours from all EU countries as well as from countries that are aspiring to join the EU.”

Impetus specialises in EU-driven consultancy and it assists local clients in applying for EU funding calls and tenders; provides training on project management and lobbying in the EU; organises seminars and conferences on EU related themes, as well as offering public relations and public affairs services.

“This is possible because Impetus Europe is a partnership between two leading Maltese consultancies, Fenlex Corporate Services Limited and Misco and it has a wealth of expertise it can draw upon,” he says.