20 - 26 September 2001

‘Special needs assessment report’ being prepared on Gozo

by Ivan Brincat

A “special needs assessment report” for Gozo is currently being drawn up, financed from funds made available under the Malta-EU fourth financial protocol.
Asked by The Malta Business Weekly whether Gozo would be eligible for structural funds as an island region if Malta joins the EU, Minister for Social Policy Lawrence Gonzi said the issue here is that the government is convinced it is in Malta’s best interest to join the EU.
“Membership will open up enormous opportunities for all Maltese living in Malta or in Gozo. Once this vision is embraced by everyone, then it opens up the opportunity to highlight the special needs of Gozo. This is something that would not be possible within the context of the so-called Switzerland in the Mediterranean – a soap bubble that does not mean anything.”
Dr Gonzi was replying to questions after recent protests by the Gozo Business Chamber because they were excluded from the newly constituted MCESD.
He said there was nothing in the law stopping the social partners from asking the GBC to participate whenever necessary. “There is also nothing that stops the Gozo
Business Chamber from teaming up with the Chamber of Commerce. Indeed I am curious to know why this logical route has not been adopted in the same manner as government has done.”
Dr Gonzi said the process to upgrade the previous MCED has to be viewed in the light of “the positive experience we have had of this body over the past 12 years. The three social partners (unions, employers and government)
wanted to strengthen what we have and to build on past experience.”
For this reason, he said, the MCESD retains the tripartite model adopted 12 years ago in line with similar international models.
“The present composition is identical to the composition of the previous MCED and at no stage did government receive any proposal or suggestion by the social partners to change the composition. On the contrary, suggestions by government to allow a representative of the Civil Society Committee to sit at the Council was not accepted by the Social Partners precisely to retain the model which had achieved a measure of success.”
Dr Gonzi said there were practical constraints which had to be taken into consideration, including the fact that the three social partners have equal representation.
The minister said that increasing the number of seats for any one of the social partners would require an equal increase for the other two partners. “The danger here is that we would be creating an unwieldy body, thus undermining the process rather than strengthening it.”
Dr Gonzi said he could not talk for the other two social partners. “But I suspect that they would strongly object to the hint that they only represent interests of their sector in the island of Malta and that they do not, therefore, represent interests in Gozo.”
He said that on the government’s part, the wording of the law was amended during the Committee stage in Parliament, specifically to allow government to be represen-ted by the Ministry of Gozo wherever necessary.
“There is nothing in the law which stops the social partners from doing the same. There is also nothing that stops the Gozo Business Chamber from teaming up with the Chamber of Commerce.”
However, asked why the GBC was not given a voice on the MCESD, Dr Gonzi said the questions put to him implied that no one was representing Gozo’s interests. “Certainly this is not the case with government. I am convinced that the other two social partners will also insist that they represent Gozo’s interests.”