Euro

[PERICLES]

PM, deċiżjoni finali dwar id-dħul tal-Ewro mistennija tittieħed f'Mejju.
Miktub: 20/03/2005 13:04:40
Awtur: Charles MUSCAT http://www.maltarightnow.com/content/images/Gonzi%20Airport.jpg

AJRUPORT INTERNAZZJONALI -Il-Gvern Malti mistenni jieħu deċiżjoni finali dwar l-implimentazzjoni tal-muita Ewro f'Mejju li ġej. Il-Laqgħa tal-Kabinett ta' nhar is-Sibt kienet it-tieni laqgħa li fiha tkompliet id-diskussjoni dwr ir-rapporti li kienu ppreżentati mill-Bank Ċentrali flimkien mal-Ministeru tal-finanzi, permezz ta' l-esperti tiegħu, dwar liema hi l-aħjar deċiżjoni għal pajjiżna.

Il-Prim Ministru Lawrence Gonzi ħabbar dan qabel ma ħalla Malta lejn Brussel fejn se jieħu sehem f'laqgħa straordinarja tal-Kunsill tal-Ministri tal-Finanzi Ewropej (ECOFIN), fis-Summit tal-Partit Popolari Ewropej u fil-Kunsill Ewropew magħruf bħala s-Summit ta' l-Unjoini Ewropea. F'dawn il-laqgħat, il-Prim Ministru jinsab akkumpanjat minn Tonio Fenech, is-Segretarju Parlamentari fil-Minisetru tal-Finanzi u minn Richard Cachia Caruana, ir-rappreżentant Permanenti ta' Malta fi Brussel.

Il-Prim Ministru qal li l-laqgħġa tal-Kabinett dwar l-implimentazzjoni tal-Ewro ma wasslitx għall-konklużjoni finali. Dan minħabba li l-gvern irid jara xi żviluppi jista' jkun hemm fil-ġimgħat li ġejjin, għax anke Malta, bħal pajjiżi l-oħra membri, tkun analizzata mill-Unjoni Ewropea dwar l-aspett fiskali skond il-pjan ta' konverġenza tagħha dwar l-aspetti makro-ekonomiċi.

Lawrence Gonzi qal li d-diskussjoni tal-Kabinett iffukat fuq il-vantaġġi għall-ekonomija f'każ li Malta tmur għall-aktar data viċina biex il-munita Ewro tidħol f'pajjiżna. Iżda din id-deċiżjoni tista' tittieħed biss wara li jkunu eżaminati u analizati d-dettalji kollha li hemm f'dan il-proċess. Wieħed irid jara x'inhi l-aktar ħaġa importanti għall-pajjiżna, għall-ekonomija u biex pajjiżna jilħaq il-kompetittivita' u jinħolqu aktar postijiet tax-xogħol biex pajjiżna jkun f'pożizzjoni li jirbaħ il-kompetizzjoni mhux biss fuq livell ewropew iżda wkoll dak internazzjonali.

Dwar il-pożizzjoni ta' Malta dwar il-Patt tat-Tkabbir u Stabbilita' ta' l-UE, il-Prim Ministru qal li Malta taqbel mal-proposti li qed jitressqu mill-Presidenza ta' l-UE, iġiffieri li s-sistema tibqa' kif hi llum iżda li jkun hemm ammont ta' flessibilita' li tirrikonoxxi sitwazzjonijiet eċċezzjonali li pajjiż jista' jkun għaddej minnhom. Lawrence Gonzi qal li pajjiż jista' jkun qed jgħamel riforma fil-qasam tal-pensjonijiet li tista' tkun importanti f'kull pajjiż u għalhekk wieħed għandu jkollu formula li mingħajr ma jbiddel il-parametri ġenerali, jirikonoxxi sitwazzjoni partikulari li ġġib il-ġid fuq medda ta' żmien. Il-Prim Ministru spjega li l-pożizzjoni ta' Malta hi differenti mill-pożizzjoni ta' Franza u l-Ġermanja.

Il-Prim Ministru qal li l-iżbilanċ finanzjarju ta' Lm94 miljun li kien stabbilit għas-sena 2004 fil-Fond Konsolidat kien rikonoxxut u aċċettat mill-Unjoni Ewropea. Min-naħa l-oħra, l-proposti tal-Gvern ta' kif se jkompli jindirizza d-defiċit għal din is-sena mexjin skond il-pjan ta' konverġenza u l-miri kollha qed jintlaħqu. Lawrence Gonzi fakkar li s-sena li għaddiet Malta telqet minn pożizzjoni ta' 9 fil-mija defiċit li kien jinkludi l-proċess kollu tar-ristrutturar tat-Tarzna, u dan kellu jinżel għal 6.5 fil-mija - din il-mira ntaħqet. Il-mira għal din is-sena hi li d-defiċit jinżel taħt il-5 fil-mija. Il-Prim Ministru qal li fil-waqt li pajjiżi oħrajn qegħdin f'pożizzjoni li d-defiċit tagħhom tiela, f'Malta d-defiċit nieżel u dan hu prova li l-politika ta' dan il-gvern qed tagħti riżultati għal pajjiżna.

Dwar il-laqgħa ta' l-ECOFIN, il-Prim Ministru qal li din hi maħsuba biex possibilment jintlaħaq ftehim dwar ir-reviżjoni tal-Patt ta' Tkabbir u Stabbilita'.

http://www.maltarightnow.com/news/portal.asp?module=article&t=a&aid=2456&cid=19

[Freedom]

Theoretically I disagree since a monocurrency will allow more capitalist, free trade facilities.
On the other hand, Malta doesn't have an alternative now that it is in the eu.

[praefectus]

Theoretically I disagree since a monocurrency will allow more capitalist, free trade facilities.
On the other hand, Malta doesn't have an alternative now that it is in the eu.

Yeah, but the money speculators like Soros can't profit as much when there aren't so many currencies shifting around, and banks taking the cut of the "exchange fee" -- Hail the Euro! Nothing sucks more than needing to exchange money in Europe (or was) ... I can't wait for the Czechs to go Euro, either (although, prices will go up -- doh!) ... however, I'm now used to calculating costs in big numbers, I'll have to use small numbers again like back in the USA -- double-doh!

[Marco Polo]

I know prices will go up but the economic advantages are many. Hail the Euro!

[PERICLES]

Deal on euro rules reforms reached

Ivan Camilleri in Brussels

EU Finance Ministers late yesterday night reached an eleventh-hour compromise deal to reformulate EU budget deficit rules, a key element of the so-called Stability and Growth Pact - the rules underpinning the euro.

All 25 EU finance ministers, including Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, yesterday met for an 11-hour marathon Finance Ministers' meeting (Ecofin), aimed at brokering a deal on the revision of the pact, just two days before the 25 EU heads of state meet to discuss economic affairs.

Discussions over the thorny issue had been deadlocked for months.

Speaking to The Times at the end of the meeting, a few minutes before midnight, Dr Gonzi confirmed that a deal was reached and said Malta was extremely satisfied with the agreement.

"Malta always maintained its position for the need of strong EU rules in order to have a strong economy. The fact that the crucial criteria, that a deficit not exceeding three per cent of GDP and that national debt levels should not exceed 60 per cent of GDP remained intact, shows that the EU will be maintaining its strong pact."

The Prime Minister stressed, however, that the new deal will now start taking into consideration the particularities of economic reforms a member state will be going through, particularly reforms connected with pensions.

Dr Gonzi said this is very important in view of the fact that Malta also needs to carry out such reforms.

Commission sources told The Times that member states rejected Germany's long-standing demand that its massive German unification payments be seen as a valid reason to violate the stability pact's austerity rules.

The sources, however, added that "there is an agreement by the finance ministers to consider 'European unification' costs as a credible reason to overshoot the three per cent deficit target."

In that case a government may post a budget gap of 3.25 per cent of GDP, but only "temporarily," the sources said.

The sources added that key to the agreed amendments is the so-called "excessive deficit procedure," triggered when a country's deficit exceeds three per cent of GDP, allowing a series of warnings and ultimately the threat of huge fines.

The deal includes the possibility that, depending on a particular assesment, the Commission may grant a further year to a member state in order to get in line with the pact's rules. Until now, a member state had three years to get in line that can now be extended to four.

The Prime Minister told The Times that the fourth year is not automatic and will only be granted after a recomendation by the Commission.

During the Ecofin meeting, Dr Gonzi was accompanied by Parliamentary Secretary Tonio Fenech.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=181435

[Gladiator]

Hail to the Euro. Malta can never hide behind the artificial value of the Malta Pound anymore. The reason, to protect Malta made goods and the importation of inflation from outside.

Inflation will go up whether we like it or not, but it will be good for tourism, exports and Myself to buy more land in Gozo!:D Right now I have to pay 3.80 for every Malta liri. The Euro to the Canadian dollar is equal to 1.53 dollars. lol.
Imagine the buying power of the outsiders.