Corruption allegations have not changed the way EU looks at Malta – Aaron Farrugia

Corruption allegations levelled at senior government officials have not affected the way in which EU Member States or, indeed, the EU itself look at Malta, according to the Parliamentary Secretary for EU Funds and Social Dialogue Aaron Farrugia.

In an interview published today, Farrugia says that while there is talk of tying governance issues with EU funding, Malta has never had any such governance issues in the eyes of the EU, unlike Poland and Hungary.

The Parliamentary Secretary said it was still too early to tell what Malta’s EU funding allocation for 2021-2027 would be, adding that the government was still trying to negotiate a better package than the one offered so far.

He says the European Commission’s proposal is based on what is called the Berlin Methods, which takes the GDP per capita of each country and compares it with the EU average GDP per capita to obtain a result. This was the same method used in 2012.

Since Malta’s GDP has increased, the country will be receiving fewer funds if the Berlin Method is used. Farrugia also insisted that the scenario has changed, particularly with Brexit: “Since Britain was the second biggest contributor to the EU, the EU is now going to be left with a €13 billion annual vacuum,” he said.

The Parliamentary Secretary was also asked about the local political front, and said that his “priority right now is to convince Joseph Muscat to stay on and serve another general election and beyond.”