Education Minister Dolores Cristina is insisting “crucial correspondence” from the European Commission on the mismanagement of funds for students’ programmes reached her office when it was too late.
“When this information was pushed upwards, it was too late to do anything effective to prevent the suspension of funds,” she said, reacting to her former permanent secretary’s claims he was the scapegoat in the controversy over the mismanagement of EU programmes agency funds.
The Commission last May suspended funds for the Lifelong Learning and Youth In Action programmes saying it could not be sure the funds were being managed according to required standards.
Three senior education officials had resigned over the affair. These included the ministry’s permanent secretary, Christopher Bezzina.
In an article in The Sunday Times, Prof. Bezzina said he was a scapegoat when he was forced to resign. He said the inquiry board appointed to probe the issue was well aware he was not to blame for any mismanagement. Prof. Bezzina said he acted with the full support of Ms Cristina.
Reacting, Ms Cristina said she had given her support to Prof. Bezzina during his tenure of office.
“I was positive he would bring a dynamic vision to the sectors of education and culture. Undoubtedly, he did. We worked closely and when he presented a way forward regarding various entities and issues he had my support in implementation.
“This support was invariably given based on facts and information as presented to me. In the case of the national authority and of the national agency, it was unfortunate that crucial correspondence emanating from the Commission never reached my office or that of my head of secretariat. When this information was pushed upwards, it was too late to do anything effective to prevent the suspension of funds,” she said.
Following a recent visit to Malta by European Commission officials, Brussels said “shortcomings and deficiencies still persist” at the EU programmes agency and at the ministry, which is the national authority for the programmes.
Under new conditions imposed by Brussels, the Maltese authorities can now launch calls within the framework of the two programmes for 2011. However, none of the successful applicants will receive EU funding if Malta does not introduce further reforms and assure the Commission on the 2010 accounts by the end of April.
The agency and the authority have until April 30 to provide Brussels with a “2010 declaration of assurance” that will provide the evidence for all that is required by the Commission.
“Following Malta’s suspension from the LifeLong Learning and Youth in Action programmes of the EU, the ministry has been working assiduously on the Commission’s recommendations to come in line with established standards and practices,” a ministry spokesman said.
“The feedback from the Commission, although referring to remedial action that still had to be taken in some areas, was generally felt to be positive and this gave rise to optimism that the suspension would be fully lifted in March. Consequently, the partial lifting came as a disappointment to the ministry,” the spokesman said.
He added the ministry was confident a number of the remaining actions required by the Commission had already been implemented or were in an advanced stage of implementation.