INTERVIEW | Wednesday, 25 July 2007

From MIC to Forum Malta fl-Ewropa

Forum Malta fl-Ewropa (FME) Chief Executive Officer DR GABRIELLA PACE explains to Charlot Zahra how the FME is fulfilling its wider remit of consultation and providing information on funding opportunities in the EU

Up till a few months ago there was the Malta-EU Information Centre (MIC) and now there is the Forum Malta fl-Ewropa (FME). What is the difference between the two institutions?
In a few words, MIC was the office in charge of providing information in the run-up to the EU accession referendum – it used to address a pre-accession scenario and its terms of reference were to keep the public informed about the static acquis that there was, where Malta stands, what was being negotiated and what was the outcome of the negotiations. After Malta joined the EU, the need was felt for an office which would now address the new scenario that has been created, that is, that Malta was now part of a larger entity where there are continuous developments taking place; an office that would provide information to the public on the advantages and, why not, the disadvantages that particular developments would perhaps have on Malta or Maltese stakeholders, as well as give information on funding. It was for this purpose that the Foreign Affairs Ministry, through Minister Michael Frendo, set up FME in 2005 and gave it three terms of reference.
The first term of reference is to provide the public with information about everything that is happening in the EU. So the former MIC role is now one of Forum’s three terms of reference
The second term of reference is the facilitation of consultation. As you know, now we are no longer looking at static acquis and new proposals are constantly being issued.
The third role of FME is to provide information about EU programmes and funding opportunities.
In this regard, a lot of people contact our offices on a daily basis via e-mail, telephone, in person or even through our website.

How is FME addressing these three terms of reference?
With regards to information on EU affairs, we are definitely the first point of reference for the public. We strive to offer a one-stop-shop and most of the queries are handled by Forum staff on the spot. When an issue requires further research, we try to get back to people within 24 hours, as much as possible. This level of service and commitment is only possible thanks to the work of Forum’s small team of very hard-working people. The fact that people see such a level of commitment on our part clearly encourages them to seek our assistance even more, sometimes also on issues that are not EU-related and which therefore clearly fall outside our remit.
Apart from having our own media productions, we are weekly contributors to a number of radio and television programmes. Forum staff also contribute articles for the printed media on a regular basis.
Moreover, three months ago we launched a new website at www.forummalta.gov.mt which hosts a lot of information including our various contributions to the media, our newsletters as well as the presentations delivered during FME activities as well as those regularly delivered by FME staff during initiatives put up by other entities.
In February we also launched a new fortnightly newsletter, “FOCUS”, which apart from being distributed electronically, is being circulated with The Times, to reach as many people as possible. The need for a newsletter reflecting Forum’s three terms of reference had been felt for quite some time.
With regard to the facilitation of consultation, every week there are a number of issued by the EU Commission. We have a database of over 300 organisations and associations which have expressed their preferences about the subjects about which they want to be kept updated. We regularly send the proposals to those entities that have expressed their intention to be updated, together with a summary of those proposals in order to facilitate perusal as some of the proposals might be quite voluminous.
Stakeholders are then invited to submit any comments they might have. Quite often, we do receive feedback from these stakeholders which we then forward to the competent officials in the competent Ministry who would be monitoring that subject, thus we serve as a bridge between the stakeholders and the competent authorities.
When there are issues that affect a larger part of society, be it business or NGOs or the public in general, the more I feel it is our duty to give the opportunity to the stakeholders involved to hear from the Government officials that are following that issue and taking part in the discussions – so, as we say, to get it from the horse’s mouth –– what are the contents of that proposal and what are its implications or contentious points if there are any. This gives stakeholders the possibility to put questions, put forward their concerns, and perhaps lobby their interests.

How many of these proposals are accepted?
From the feedback I have, since we started this process, these views were definitely considered. Since last September, I cannot say that we have had too much negative feedback from stakeholders. On the contrary, they have appreciated our efforts and response received has been very encouraging.
Moreover, since September, we have held consultation meetings with stakeholders on various topics such as food additives, qualifications, the Green Paper on the Modernisation of Labour Law and market access, to mention but a few. Last month we held a breakfast workshop on an important Green Paper on Retail Financial Services. All these meetings are very well attended and this in itself spurs us on.

As to funding?
With regard to funding, we have recently enhanced the capacity of our Funding Unit. In the case of funding, the queries are as diverse as EU matters are. There are a substantial number of requests for information on specific programmes. Or there might be an organisation or a person who is active in a particular sector asking whether any EU funding is available for a particular project they may have in mind. After all, one must also remember that the EU does not provide funding for everything imaginable.
Something to which we have been giving a lot of importance, as from my day one here, is the importance of not providing information on funds are available, but also of disseminating the experiences of fellow Maltese citizens at all levels of these funding programmes. For example, a lot of people have already participated in the Leonardo programme. What has been their experience, with all the pros and cons of it? When you apply for funds, you will not necessarily be successful the first time around.
I believe that when the Maltese people hear the experiences of fellow Maltese citizens, especially of those who have managed to tap EU funding successfully, this also helps them to relate more to the process and also often encourages them to apply for funding themselves.
Besides this, we use our various channels of communication with the public to pass on this message. We had a weekly television and a weekly radio programme during which we featured several success stories and EU funding experiences. Every issue of FOCUS, our fortnightly newsletter, also includes one of these. Furthermore, we have recently launched a new newsletter, “Funding 4 yEU”, in which we include information about funding opportunities as well as the experiences of those who have benefitted from EU funds so that people can relate a little bit more. If one simply present the experiences of foreign people and organisations, people might walk away with the perception that these are in a different context, where things could perhaps be easier situation and more funding available. Hence the importance of presenting the experiences of Maltese citizens, business and NGOs - from the Maltese to the Maltese.
We have recently embarked on a series of information seminars on specific EU programmes during which we will also be hearing the experiences of beneficiaries, where applicable. The first seminar, held on 28th June, focused on the new CIP programme which provides funding opportunities for competitiveness and innovation. It was attended by over 100 people. On 10 July we organised another seminar entitled “Education and Training: Exploring Funding Opportunities”, which was attended by 160 people. These large audiences are proof of the interest that there is in these things.
This is complemented by information on our website on funding opportunities, which is updated regularly, and the featuring of various success stories. Forum’s Funding Unit here works very closely with the European Union Programmes Agency and other National Contact Points in the various Ministries.

Can you mention at least one successful project?
A European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) project for the conservation and presentation of the Hagar Qim and Mnajdra Archaeological Park is presently being implemented by Heritage Malta. ERDF was setup in 1975 to stimulate economic development in less prosperous regions in the EU.
The total cost of the project amounts to euro 3.5 million and 63 per cent of it will be funded by EU funds. The rest will be funded by the Maltese government.
The goal of the project is the conservation of these sites and their better interpretation - which will includes a new Visitors’ Centre. It will be the visitors’ launching pad to the sites and to the landscape of which they form part. It will be a building on two levels which will be wrapped into the existing car-park, which has a capacity in excess of the carrying capacity of the archaeological park.
Another interesting one that comes to mind is a project entitled DAWL – Energy, Employment, Empowerment. It was launched recently by SOS Malta, in partnership with Paolo Friere Institute, Friends of the Earth (Malta), Mosta Local Council and the Ministry of Rural Affairs and the Environment. The project is partly funded by the European Union’s European Social Fund (ESF), and it aims to increase the employability of women who have been out of the labour market for a number of years by providing lifelong learning through hands-on training and development approach to unemployed women. This project will provide the blue-print for the setting up of a medium enterprise which will provide part-time, flexible hours employment for women as trainers/information disseminators in the field of energy and water saving. Such enterprise would be set up in partnership with the business community, local authorities and NGOs. In the short term this project will train 5 women in this sector as well as enhance their interpersonal skills, thereby increasing their employability.
Then there are also various success stories involving the education, training and youth sectors, amongst others. We will do our best to disseminate as many of them as possible.

What type of consultations have there been with the business community during the past ten months?
Before joining FME, I used to head the Malta office of the Malta Business Bureau, which is the joint EU advisory office of the Chamber of Commerce (CoC), the Federation of Industry (FOI) and the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA), so I come with a good relationship with business organizations and a feel of their main concerns. Inevitably, many of the things we have mentioned affect business. If we are talking about food additives, for example, it’s related to business – you have the catering and hospitality sectors that are mainly affected.
If we talk about market access, this affects all businesses; if we talk about retail financial services, this affects financial services, banking, and insurance companies. We have had extensive consultation seminars with the business community, all of which are, again, very well attended.
Moreover, FME is the contact point for the European Business Test Panel (EBTP) initiative. This is an EU Commission initiative set up around three years ago through which the Commission, at pre-proposal stage, consults with the business community in all the 27 Member States and sounds them, via a simple questionnaire, about their opinion on the possible implications of what it is planning to propose.
The ultimate aim is that when the proposal is formulated and eventually published, it would already reflect the opinion of the business community. This is a tangible example where the Commission consults directly with business on issues which affect it.
Aware of this initiative well before joining FME and acknowledging its importance, I felt it merited some priority. In fact it was launched by FME and the Commerce Division at the end of October last year.
Recruitment of members of the business community for the Maltese participants in the (EBTP) is ongoing and we are here collaborating with the Commerce Division. A number of members have already signed up, however it is important that as many Maltese business interests as possible are represented in this initiative, because, at the end of the day, the Commission is sounding their business counterparts in all EU Member States.
I therefore encourage the business community to form part of this initiative in order to have the opportunity to make its voice heard and contribute clearly and directly. As I explained the EBTP consultations take place at pre-proposal stage; so before it is issued and passed on to the Council of Ministers, one would already have the opportunity to make one’s voice heard and give one’s opinion on the impact of that proposal on oneself as an individual business.

How is FME assisting business to tap EU funding opportunities?
In the case of businesses, we do not manage any of the EU programmes. We give the information but we do not adjudicate the bids. However we give funds to NGOs to assist them with EU-related initiatives.
Around one-third of FME’s budget is dedicated to the Civil Society Fund (CSF), through which NGOs (including business organizations) have the opportunity to apply for financial assistance for their EU-related activities. The CSF can contribute up to 80 per cent of the funding in each case.
In May, we issued a public call for expressions of interest for this year’s CSF and all applicants were then invited provide us with further details on their activities. The adjudication process is currently underway. Examples of initiatives that can be financed through this fund include the organization of activities about the EU for members of the organisation, membership fees in international organisations on an EU level, part-financing of EU projects, as well as the sourcing of foreign experts or the participation in EU-related events abroad.

What are the FME’s future projects?
In September we are embarking on another radio programme about the EU also produced by FME. After the recent launch of the “Funding 4 yEU” newsletter, other information, consultation and funding-related initiatives are also in the pipeline.We will strive to keep providing the same level of service that we are currently providing to those who ask for our assistance. We will be organizing more activities as they have been positively received by stakeholders and the public at large.
Resources are limited and we are still not on full complement. There is a small but dynamic group of seven people and a lot of teamwork. I would like to publicly thank each of my members of staff, as this is clearly not a one-woman show and there is a team of people busy at work behind this success.
As a person, I never sit back and say “Okay, fine, we can stop there”. There’s always more that can be done. Luckily, my staff is very pro-active too so there will always be some new initiative in the pipeline.