The EU and unemployment

I refer to the report on the GWU's massive protest activity in Valletta (January 28). I came across the following: "Unemployment is the scourge of working people and their families across the world. It is not an act of God but a result of deliberate economic policies".

These words were said by David Spooner who is the secretary general of the International Federation of Workers Education Associations. Mr Spooner was a guest speaker at the GWU's activity. The Times reporter chose to add in her report that "Mr Spooner did not blame EU membership for unemployment and said it was a global situation".

Had your reporter reflected more on what was said by Mr Spooner, namely, that unemployment was "a result of deliberate economic policies", and also reflected on the "deliberate economic policies" of the European Union, which prohibits national governments of EU member states from taking radical measures and initiatives to combat unemployment and, thus, help companies which may be facing certain problems of competitiveness, or offer fiscal and other attractive incentives to attract investment to create new jobs which would offset jobs lost, or had the reporter thought about the substantial costs which EU regulations and bureaucracy are adding to the overheads which EU enterprises are being lumped with, she might have been more careful before clearing the EU from any blame for the unemployment situation not only in Malta but right across the European Union!