GOVERNMENT PROVIDES LM200,000 IN FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO CONSTITUTED BODIES FOR 2001

For the year 2001, Government is again allocating the sum of LM200,000 to Constituted Bodies and Representative Organisations to

• assist them in keeping abreast of developments in the European Union; and

• enable them to better educate their members about EU matters related to their respective fields of competence.

Fund Administration

The Fund is being administered by a Tripartite Committee, composed of representatives from the Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the latter as Chairman.

Objectives

The Fund will assist Constituted Bodies and Representative Organisations in:

• maintaining, where necessary, a representative office in Brussels;

• setting up an EU desk within the Organisation in Malta for the provision of EU-related advice and information to its membership;

• organising courses, conferences, seminars and other fora of discussion in Malta directly related to the acquis communautaire on topics relevant to their membership;

• covering expenses related to participation in conferences, seminars and meetings abroad on matters directly related to the EU;

• covering expenses incurred in bringing over officials from the EU, or from institutions directly related therewith to discuss topics with an EU dimension of direct interest to their members;

• attending familiarisation visits and specialised immersion programmes of the EU institutions and other bodies;

• building up libraries on EU related subjects;

• reaching any other related objective approved by the Tripartite Committee.

OrganisationAllocation (LM)

A portion of the allocation will be forwarded as an advance payment. Approved expenses will in the first instance be set off against the advance payment. Thereafter, funds will be disbursed on a project by project basis until the ceiling for that particular Constituted Body / Organisation has been reached.

Twenty per cent of the expenses for each project are to be borne by the Constituted Body / Organisation concerned. Government will cover the remaining eighty per cent on the basis of invoices or other appropriate documentation to be submitted by the organisations.

For each project, the Constituted Body / Representative Organisation will have to submit a detailed project proposal.

The Tripartite Committee will inform these organisations of the procedures to be followed.

Procedures for Other Constituted Bodies / Trade Unions, NGOs, Representative Organisations and Interest Groups allocated a global amount

For the year 2001, other Constituted Bodies / Trade Unions, NGOs, Representative Organisations and Interest Groups have been allocated a global amount of Lm80,000. They are initially required to express their interest in benefiting from a share of these funds, in line with the objectives set out above, by writing to the Head of the Tripartite Committee, c/o EU Directorate, 2^nd Floor, Old University Building, St Paul's Street, Valletta CMR 02, by not later than Friday, 17 November 2000.

The Tripartite Committee will inform these organisations of the procedures to be followed.

Such Constituted Bodies / Trade Unions, NGOs, Representative Organisations and Interest Groups which would have expressed their interest in writing will then be required to submit their project proposals to the Head of the Tripartite Committee by not later than Thursday, 7 December 2000.

On the basis of the project proposals submitted, these organisations will be granted an allocation of funds. A portion of the allocation will be forwarded as an advance payment. Approved expenses will in the first instance be set off against the advance payment. Thereafter, funds will be disbursed on a project by project basis until the ceiling for that particular Constituted Body / Organisation has been reached.

Twenty per cent of the expenses for each project are to be borne by the Constituted Body / Organisation concerned. Government will cover the remaining eighty per cent on the basis of invoices or other appropriate documentation to be submitted by the organisations.

Those Organisations that fail to abide by the above deadlines will not be considered for fund allocation.