Labour MEP Edward Scicluna yesterday (Wednesday, March 23) welcomed the adoption of Parliament’s report approving a Treaty change to establish the new EU Stability Mechanism which gives specific guarantees that all EU countries, regardless of their size, would be covered by the fund in times of economic crisis.
Following lengthy negotiations with the European Council ahead of Thursday’s (March 25) Summit of EU leaders where the European Stability Mechanism will be officially agreed prior to parliamentary ratification in all Member States, Prof Scicluna, who was Rapporteur for the Economic committee on the report, together with the other Co- Rapporteurs, persuaded the Council that small countries should not be excluded from accessing the fund because of their size.
Following the parliamentary vote which approved the text by 494 votes with 100 against, Prof Scicluna said:
“I am very pleased with this outcome. After being presented with a text that was legally ambiguous and potentially could have restricted access of small countries to this fund, we have been able to push Council into making some important changes.
We no longer have to worry that Malta could be put in the position of paying into this fund but without having the right to access it should a crisis arise.”
Noting that the new funding mechanism was only one part of the reform to the euro-areas economic governance, Prof Scicluna stated:
“On its own, this stability mechanism will not solve the euro-area’s problems. It is part of a package, along with the six legislative dossiers that I and other leading ECON MEPs are working on.
If we get into the position that we are making strict demands on countries that fall into economic problems, and then force harsh austerity proposals on them which restrict their ability to grow out of difficulty, we will achieve nothing.”
Il-Mekkanizmu Gdid ghal Stabilita Ewropea Issa garantit li pajjizi zghar bhal Malta jkunu jistghu jibbenefikaw
Hidma kbira mill-Ewroparlamentari Laburista Malti l-Professur Edward Scicluna wasslet biex pajjizi zghar membri tal-Unjoni Ewropea (EU), bhal Malta, ikunu jistghu jibbenefikaw minn mekkanizmu gdid mahsub biex jipprovdi stabbilita f’kaz ta’ krizi ekonomika u finanzjarja li jistghu jinqabdu fiha pajjizi tal-UE.
Sa qabel hidmet il-Professur Scicluna ma kienx garantit li pajjizi zghar bhal Malta setghu jgawdu minn dan il-mekkanizmu maghruf bhala European Stability Mechanism (ESM) minkejja li xorta se jkunu qeghdin jikkontribwixxu ghalih.
Il-Parlament Ewropew (PE) nhar l-Erbgha, 23 ta’ Marzu, 2011, approva b’494 vot favur u 100 kontra Rapport ghal tibdil fit-Trattat tal-UE, tibdil li permezz tieghu se jkun stabbilit dan il-mekkanizmu.
Ir-Rapport hadem fuqu bis-shih il-Professur Scicluna u issa kull pajjiz membru se jkun qed jinghata garanziji specifici mill-ESM fl-eventwalita li jkun f’xi krizi ekonomika. Dan irrispettivament mid-daqs tal-pajjiz. Originarjament dawn il-garanziji ma kienux fl-ewwel proposti li saru u li ntbaghtu lill-PE.
Il-vot ta’ nhar l-Erbgha, 23 ta’ Marzu, 2011, fil-PE kien ta’ sodisfazzjon kbir ghal Prof. Scicluna li kien ir-Rapporteur mill-Kumitat ghall-Affarijiet Ekonomici u Monetarji (ECON) li hadem fuq ir-Rapport. Wara negozjati twal mal-Kunsill Ewropew (KE) qabel is-summit tal-lum il-Hamis, 24 ta’ Marzu, 2011, tal-mexxejja tal-pajjizi tal-UE u li matulu mistenni l-qbil ufficjali ghat-twaqqif tal-ESM, Prof. Scicluna, flimkien ma’ co-Rapporteurs ohrajn, irnexxielhom jipperswadu lill-KE li pajjizi zghar bhal Malta m’ghandhomx ikunu eskluzi minn access ghal dan il-fond minhabba d-daqs taghhom. Wara l-approvazzjoni tas-Summit, l-ESM ikun irid jigi ratifikat minn kull Parlament Nazzjonali tal-pajjizi membri.
“Ninsab ferm sodisfatt bir-rizultat. Primarjament it-text tar-Rapport kif mghoddi lill-PE kien legalment ambigwu u potenzjalment seta jirrestringi l-access minn pajjizi zghar, imma issa rnexxielna nikkonvincu lill-KE jaghmel tibdil importanti. M’ghandnix ghalfejn ninkwetaw aktar li Malta tista’ tingieb f’sitwazzjoni li filwaqt li tikkontribwixxi ghall-fond ma jkollhiex dritt tibbenefika minnu jekk tinqabad f’xi krizi,” sostna Prof. Scicluna.
L-ESM huwa biss parti mir-riforma mehtiega ghal governanza ekonomika. “L-ESM wahdu mhux se jsolvi l-problemi taz-Zona Ewro. Huwa parti minn pakkett, flimkien ma’ sitt dossiers legislattivi li fuqhom qeghdin inkomplu nahdmu jien u Membri Parlamentari Ewropej ohrajn li jappartjenu lill-ECON. Jekk naslu fis-sitwazzjoni li naghmlu talbiet stretti fuq pajjizi li jkunu fi problemi ekonomici, u mbaghad ninfurzaw fuqhom proposti horox ta’ awtserita li minnhom infushom jirrestringu l-abbilta taghhom biex johorgu mid-diffikultajiet, ma nkunu ghamilna xejn,” qal Prof. Scicluna.