AD chairperson, Prof Arnold Cassola, said: “Whilst the government finds no difficulty in creating a 100,000 euro job for a minister’s wife or promoting 7 colonels in one go, with relative salaries, for an army of 2000, it has suspended all funding for MEUSAC civil society and has not  paid one euro of the 400,000 euros voted for financing Local Councils EU-funded projects for 2013.  Does the government have its priorities right?”

Carmel Cacopardo, AD spokesperson for Home Affairs and Sustainable Development, stated that the Local Council funds utilised for co-Financing EU projects are necessary and essential for Local Councils. Without them they cannot participate in EU funded projects.  The fact that 9 months into the year not one single payment has been made to Local Councils out of these Funds is worrying.

AD calls upon government to release said funds immediately.

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Iċ-chairperson ta’ AD, Prof Arnold Cassola, qal: “Filwaqt li l-gvern ma jsib l-ebda diffikulta’ li joħloq impieg ta’ 100,000 ewro għall-mara ta’ ministru jew li jippromwovi seba’ kurunelli f’daqqa, bil-pagi li jġibu magħhom, għal armata ta’ 2000, ma ddejjaqx iwaqqaf il-finanzjament kollu għall-MEUSAC u s-soċjeta ċivili u għadu ma ħallasx ewro wieħed mill-400,000 ewro ivvutati għall-finanzjament ta’ proċetti ko-iffinazjati mill-UE għall-Kunsilli Lokali għall-2013.  Il-prioritajiet tal-gvern jagħmlu sens?”

Carmel Cacopardo, kelliem ta’ AD għall-Affarijiet Interni u Żvilupp Sostenibbli, qal li l-fondi użati mill-Kunsilli Lokali għall-ko-finanzjament ta’ proġetti tal-UE huma meħtiega u essenzjali għall-Kunsilli Lokali. Mingħajrhom ma jkunux  jistgħu jipparteċipaw fi proġetti iffinanzjati mill-UE. Il-fatt li qed noqorbu lejn tmiem is-sena u lanqas għadu sar pagament wieħed lill-Kunsilli Lokali minn dawn il-fondi huwa ta’ tħassib.

AD issejjaħ lill-gvern biex joħrog dawn il-fondi mill-aktar fis possibli.