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EU Competition chief Joaquin Almunia has accused the Maltese government for failing to provide the information needed to agree to its €130 million state aid rescue plan.
Speaking on Tuesday evening at a hearing of the ECON committee (Tuesday 19th June) in response to questions from Prof Scicluna why the Commission was delaying the urgently needed rescue plan, EU Competition chief Joaquin Almunia insisted that “the Maltese authorities are not providing us with the information we require; or the restructuring plan they submitted to us is not in agreement with our state aid rules”.
Under the EU treaties any financial aid given to a company by a national government which breaches the rules of the EU internal market requires approval from the Commission. The government wants to push through a restructuring plan worth €130 million for Air Malta.
In a report on the Air Malta case sent by the Commission to the Foreign Minister in January, the Commission expressed doubts about the government plan describing it as “too optimistic” with regard to its market share, plans to return to profit and overall viability. It added that the government was yet to provide a detailed impact assessment under various scenarios.
Commissioner Almunia concluded that “we need to continue negotiations as we cannot impose our own ideas on the restructuring plan, to negotiate with the national authorities and to ask for additional information” in a bid to reach an agreement.
Prof Scicluna said:
“Maltese taxpayers are rightly perplexed that they see billions being provided by the EU to bailout banks while at the same time it is taking ages for the Commission to give the go ahead for the government to restructure our national airline using our own money.”
“The Commission produced a detailed review of the Air Malta case in January in which it called on the government to provide further information before they could approve the bail-out. But Commissioner Almunia says he is still waiting.”
“The government keeps claiming that the Commission is holding up the deal but Almunia insists that the government is the road-block to reform.”
He concluded:
“Air Malta is vitally important to our economy. We cannot have a situation where its future is hanging in the wind for months and years because the government has neglecting its duties.”
Kummissarju Almunia jgħid lil Scicluna li l-Gvern Malti qed idum iżżejjed fuq il-ftehim għall-Air Malta
Il-Kummissarju Ewropew tal-Kompetizzjoni Joaquin Almunia akkuża lil Gvern Malti li naqas milli jipprovdi l-informazzjoni meħtieġa biex jintlaħaq ftehim fuq il-pjan għall-għajnuna finanzjarja tal-Air Malta li jlaħħaq il-130 miljun Euro.
F’risposta għall-mistoqsijiet mpoġġija lilu t-Tlieta filgħaxija (Tlieta 19 ta’ Gunju) mill-Ewroparlamentari Laburista l-Prof Edward Scicluna waqt laqgħa tal-Kumitat għall-Affarijiet Ekonomiċi u Monetarji dwar id-dewmien fuq il-pjan ta’ għajnuna finanzjarja għall-Air Malta, il-Kummissarju Almunia insista li “l-awtoritajiet Maltin mhumiex jipprovduna bl-informazzjoni li neħtiegu; jew il-pjan ta’ ristrutturar li li issottomew ma jaqbilx mar-regoli ta’ l-istate aid“.
Skont it-trattati tal-UE, kull għajnuna finanzjarja li tingħata mill-gvern nazzjonali lill-kumpaniji li ma tkunx skont ir-regoli tas-suq intern tirrikjedi l-approvazzjoni tal-Kummissjoni. Il-Gvern Malti jrid jgħaddi pjan ta’ ristrutturar ta’ 130 miljun Euro għall-Air Malta.
F’rapport maħruġ fuq il-każ ta’ l-Air Malta u mibgħut mill-Kummissjoni lil Ministeru tal-Affarijiet Barranin f’Jannar, il-Kummissjoni esprimiet id-dubji tagħha dwar il-pjan tal-gvern li ġie deskritt bħala ‘wisq ottimist’ f’dak li għandu x’jaqsam mal-porzjon tas-suq, il-pjan tal-profitabilita’ u l-vijabilita’ in generali. Żiedet ukoll li l-gvern għad irid jippreżenta impact assessment dettaljat taħt diversi xenarji.
Il-Kummissarju Almunia kkonkluda li “għandna bżonn li nkomplu bin-negozjati peress li ma nistgħux nimponu l-ideat tagħna fuq il-pjan ta’ ristrutturar, li ninegozzjaw mal-awtoritajiet nazzjonali u li nitolbu iktar informazzjoni” biex nilħqu ftehim.
Prof Scicluna qal:
“It-taxpayers Maltin bir-raġun huma perplessi meta jaraw biljuni ta’ Euro provduti mill-UE biex insalvaw lil banek waqt li fl-istess ħin il-Kummissjoni qed tieħu ħafna żmien biex tapprova it-talba tal-gvern biex jirristruttura l-linja nazzjonali ta’ l-ajru tagħna bi flusna stess.”
“Il-Kummissjoni ippreparat analiżi dettaljati tal-każ ta’ l-Air Malta f’Jannar fejn fih talbet lil gvern biex jipprovdi iktar informazzjoni qabel ma tkun tista tapprova dan il-pjan ta’ għajnuna finanzjarja. Madankollu, il-Kummissarju Almunia qal li għadu qed jistenna.
“Il-gvern qed jibqa jgħid li hija l-Kummissjoni li qed iżżomm l-approvazzjoni tal-pjan waqt li Almunia qed jinsisti li huwa l-gvern li qed ikun ta’ xkiel għar-riforma.
Hu kkonkluda:
“L-Air Malta hija vitali għall-ekonomija tagħna. Ma jistax ikollna sitwazzjoni fejn il-futur tagħha jibqa mndendel għal xhur u snin minħabba li l-gvern jonqos mir-responsabilitajiet tiegħu.”
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