The landmark statue holding the euro symbol in front of the European Parliament building in Brussels.Malta’s MEPs tended to put considerable emphasis on social issues but not enough on business issues, Joe Farrugia, the director general of the Malta Employers’ Association said.
His view was mirrored by Paul Abela, the president of the GRTU, who said that in his opinion, past MEPs had not served the interest of the business community as well as they could have.
“We need someone who understands business – especially SMEs – and not just someone who listens and takes notes,” he said bitterly.
The lack of focus is probably due to the poor communication between the MEPs and the organisations, with the latter expecting the former to take the initiative to set regular meetings.
“The issues that businesses face are really only discussed at MEUSAC once a month but there should be regular meetings with the MEPs so we can keep each other abreast of what is coming up and what needs to be done to protect our interests,” Mr Abela said.
With so much going on at the European Parliament, even the media gets distracted, EP Office information director Peter Agius said, noting that the vote on Malta’s citizenship scheme had completely eclipsed a vote on public procurement which was hugely important for SMEs in Malta. This statement prompted an immediate reaction from Mr Abela.
“This is a perfect example,” Mr Abela said.
In the case of eGaming, the industry had briefed MEPs, who had been able to push much more effectively for Malta’s interest
“There were two Maltese MEPs involved in the committee that was in charge of this vote and neither of them ever met the GRTU on the subject!”
They say that the exception proves the rule and Mr Agius pointed out that in the case of eGaming, the industry had briefed MEPs, who had been able to push much more effectively for Malta’s interests.
“When they are triggered, they work very hard. It is amazing how much has been achieved and our wins and efforts are not always appreciated,” Mr Agius said.
With the elections for Malta’s MEPs just months away, the European Parliament Office in Malta has asked five organisations to submit their wish list for the new batch of MEPs to tackle.
The organisations are the GRTU, the Malta Chamber for Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, the Malta Employers’ Association, the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association and the Malta Business Bureau.
The compilation of the manifesto is just one of a number of initiatives being organised by the EP Office between now and February 14, when it will be presented to MEP candidates and members of the five organisations, at an event which will also be addressed by senior figures from Brussels.
The EP Office will also organise webinars on EU-China and EU-US trade, an event on financial services and an event on EU funding.
“The EP will be involved in the EU-China agreement, which will affect €1 billion of trade every day and will supersede any bilateral agreements currently in place. The EU/US trade agreement will remove barriers and result in savings of €550 per family in the EU. MEPs will need to approve these treaties so they need to have a clear understanding of the issues,” Mr Agius said.
“The fighting ground for these challenges is increasingly the EP’s technical committees,” he added, noting that in one particular piece of legislation, over 4,000 amendments had been tabled by MEPs.
The events were launched last Tuesday by a round-table discussion between representatives from the five organisations and a number of MEPs.