“We need to continue the fight for good governance using new tools, building alliances with all people of good will and empowering civil society to keep decision-makers under constant scrutiny” said EU official and MEP candidate Peter Agius after meeting Nick Aiossa, Director of Transparency International.
Transparency International is the leading global organisation tasked with preventing corruption and promoting integrity by keeping constant watch on the Rule of Law and Transparency agenda in European Union institutions and its Member States.
Director Nick Aiossa welcomed the initiative of MEP candidate Peter Agius to discuss with Transparency International EU how the good governance agenda can be promoted in Malta and the EU ahead of the 8 June European Elections.
Peter Agius said that ‘Civil society organisations like Transparency International needs to be empowered to secure greater accountability in decision-making, including in the use of EU funding by the EU and in the Member States. We need to be vigilant that hard-earned tax payer money does not end up in the wrong pockets.’
“The next European Parliament legislature needs to strengthen scrutiny on the use of EU funding first of all by providing for more transparency on funded projects and their effective deliverables and secondly by ensuring proper follow-up and improved coordination by national and European authorities like the European Public Prosecutors Office (EPPO) to effectively stamp out corruption and fraud in the use of EU funding.”
“It is indeed worrying that in its first yearly report the EPPO notes 14 ongoing cases of fraud from EU funding in Malta. We must all do our part to increase accountability and transparency. We can’t risk eroding public trust.” said Peter Agius.
“Apart for stamping out fraud, we must also avoid cases of misuse where EU money is not used optimally and fails to deliver on its promised deliverables. One such clear case is the 70 million EU funding spent in Malta on sewage plants. Contractors were paid, but much more sewage is now flowing into our beaches than ever before. This is unacceptable. This is why I requested a performance audit to the Auditor General to secure better clarity on responsibilities in this field. Our time at the beach this summer depends on this!” concluded Peter Agius.
