The Nationalist Party has made more than 70 proposals on the way Malta should make best use of the €1,128 million of EU funds allocated for the seven-year period between this year and 2020.
While welcoming a number of initiatives listed in the government's cohesion policy for this period, the PN this morning raised concerns, mainly that the documents presented by the government were at times vague and that some areas, including Gozo, were not given sufficient importance.
Addressing a press conference, PN spokespersons Antoine Borg and Marthese Portelli said their feedback had been submitted to the government in a 36-page report.
Job creation
They said the PN welcomed the allocation of €72 million for economic growth and job creation. More funds in research and innovation should be directed for social sciences and humanities through the European Social Fund. However, clear guidelines need to be established by the government on what can be termed as an innovative project.
Dr Portelli noted that the manufacturing industry was not included in the document, while remarking that the permissible state aid would decrease gradually. No reference was made for Gozo, and so the PN was proposing a research centre on agriculture in Gozo.
ICT
The PN raised concern that the fibre-to-home project was not mentioned. It proposed the setting up of a satellite receiving station which would provided redundancy for the marine cables.
The party said there was too much focus on e-commerce and no clear vision of what the government intended to do on e-government services.
Competitiveness
The MPs said there should be schemes for SMEs to address barriers to growth. The creative industries must not be treated merely as a means to enhance the tourism product.
Environment and Energy
They said the PN was also proposing incentives for residential buildings that had no access for solar energy, incentives for energy efficient measures and energy audits. On the other hand they asked for clarifications on the fact that the government was seeking to maximise investment in renewable energy "as long as the investment is feasible".
Other proposals include better water monitoring and the preservation of ground water, more funding for industrial heritage sites, the protection of marine biodiversity and bird species.
Proposals were made for reducing noise pollution from major traffic arteries and village centres and funding for arts schools.