Efforts to get everything at the EU programmes agency up to standard is in full swing as the Education Ministry strives to meet the end-of-the-month deadline.
Speaking during her ministry’s report on the work done in 2010, Education Minister Dolores Cristina said Eupa staff was “working intensively” to come in line with the European Commission’s strict requirements.
The agency was also strengthening its structures so that if and once the programmes came back in place, it could handle the workload better.
The EU programmes agency has issued calls for applications for the Lifelong Learning Programme but successful applicants risk not being accepted if the government does not comply with conditions imposed by Brussels.
The Lifelong Learning and Youth in Action programmes were suspended last May after the European Commission found “a persistent lack of assurance that the EU funds were being managed according to the required standards”.Under conditions set by Brussels, the agency can issue calls but EU funding depends on whether the country introduces further reforms and assures the Commission of the 2010 accounts by the end of next month.
The minister had expressed the hope the Commission would lift the suspension of the funds last month. This, however, was not the case and the suspension was only partially lifted.
“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,” a spokesman for Ms Cristina had said.
Ms Cristina yesterday also spoke about the opening of childcare centres in Cospicua, Siġġiewi and Pembroke, which joined others around the island.
Ms Cristina said her ministry was criticised for not making enough progress in terms of childcare centres and comparisons with countries such as Sweden and Finland were often made. This comparison, she said, was unfair, because these countries had a much longer tradition of working women when compared to that in Malta, which only started recently.
The minister said he was in possession of a report that would affect the future of Public Broadcasting Services. She did not elaborate but said the report would be discussed in Parliament soon.
Sports Parliamentary Secretary Clyde Puli said sports facilities in schools would be opened for residents in the area, saying the track at St Ignatius College in Qormi had already been a success.
A National Sports Policy was in the works and a consultation process would be launched soon, he said.