Seminar on structural funds

A seminar on 'Structural funds and accession: the Maltese case' is to be held at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta tomorrow and on Friday.

The seminar is being organised by the Technical Assistance Information Exchange Office within the European Commission's Directorate General for Enlargement.

The delegation of the European Commission to Malta said the event was of crucial importance as it was an essential part of the commission's strategy of preparing Malta for making the best use of structural funds after accession.

The delegation said the aim of the seminar was to provide a framework for a joint reflection by all the main actors concerned on the issues at stake, on the possible options and on the requirements to be met in order to prepare for the structural funds.

Five workshops tailored to the Maltese case will be held, covering among other topics the evaluation of major projects, financial management and control, and management and monitoring.

A panel comprising commission representatives, a Maltese representative and a member state expert will guarantee that each workshop will be of high quality, the delegation said.

Guy Crauser, director-general of DG Regional Policy, who is heading the commission's delegation to the seminar, will have a series of bilateral meetings with senior officials of each ministry involved in the exercise as well as the director of regional policy within the Office of the Prime Minister.