Prospects are looking good for the education programmes the EU had suspended to be resumed after a final inspection visit by European Commission officials was described as positive.

“The Commission can confirm our officials have concluded their mission in Malta last week and the meetings held were positive and constructive,” a spokesman said.

A decision on whether the suspension would be lifted would be taken in the coming days, he added.

Despite the diplomatic tone of the official spokesman, Commission sources said the EU Executive was “generally satisfied” with the measures taken by the Maltese authorities to rectify the problems that surfaced last year in the management of funds aimed for the programmes in question.

Originally, the Commission intended to be in a position to allow Malta to rejoin as from next month. However, the exact timing has not yet been decided because the results of the visit are still being analysed.

Following a number of informal warnings that went unheeded, Brussels last May announced the suspension of the Youth in Action and Lifelong Learning programmes due to failure by the Maltese authorities to comply with EU procedures. Brussels had discovered “a persistent lack of assurance that the EU funds were being managed according to the required standards”.

Following an inquiry by the Maltese authorities, the permanent secretary at the Ministry for Education and two other senior officials involved in the running of the programmes resigned. The government had also introduced an ad hoc scheme aimed at helping hundreds of students carry on with their projects while the suspension was in force.

Commission sources said that during their visit last week, the EU officials discussed the progress on various issues including the need for the national agency responsible for the management of the funds, the European Union Programmes Agency, to have all data on payments and recoveries of EU funds in its accounting system. Also, proper checks on EU programme beneficiaries had to be rigorously carried out to ensure funds were spent in accordance with EU rules.