Drive to help local councils tap EU funds

The Malta EU Steering Action Committee and the local councils have signed a cooperation agreement formalising assistance to access EU funding.

The Memorandum of Understanding was the "official stamp" on Meusac's mission to assist councils, public entities and NGOs in taking part in EU programmes, Parliamentary Secretary Chris Said explained.

It was another step in the government's series of initiatives to help councils maximise the potential of EU co-financing.

Meusac was committed to assisting councils in the choice and planning of proposals for co-financing, in the selection of the most adequate programmes to acquire funds and in the preparation of applications, he added. It would also be setting up a help desk for particular local councils.

Meanwhile, the local councils would be committing themselves to taking part in project management training and in EU-related Meusac activities.

Last week, a Co-Financing Fund was set up, whereby the government will be assisting in projects that require co-financing in order to be implemented.

In the last six weeks, 18 councils applied through Meusac's funding unit, set up in November, for projects co-financed by the EU.

Dr Said noted that, so far, 34 local councils took part in 69 projects, benefitting from 15 programmes amounting to €1.8 million.

The government was now allocating €303,000 in co-financing assistance to the Association of Local Councils, further encouraging local councils to apply for more EU projects. If the councils made good use of this, it would mean that during the year, they would have benefitted from about €3 million from the EU.

Dr Said urged the local councils to make full use of Meusac's assistance, insisting that each one should make at least one application for EU funding.