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6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 28 JUNE 2020 NEWS Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs Parliamentary Secretariat for European Funds ANNOUNCEMENT Call for aquaculture (innovation) project proposals co-financed through the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund 2014-2020 The European Maritime and Fisheries Operational Programme for Malta in respect of the current programming period provides funding opportunities to the fishing and aquaculture industries and related coastal communities to help them adapt to ever-changing sectoral conditions whilst fostering their economical resilience and ecological sustainability. The Fund will be of assistance in reaching the objectives of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy and support the implementation of the Integrated Maritime Policy, as delineated in pertinent Regulation (EU) No. 508/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council. The Funds and Programmes Division is hereby informing potential beneficiaries that a call for aquaculture (innovation) project proposals has been launched on 22 June 2020 for the measure below: Article 47 Measure II.1 Innovation Deadline for submission of Application Forms: 31 July 2020 (noon) This call has a total allocation of circa €800,000.00 in public eligible funding (European Union and Malta shares). The Managing Authority reserves the right to increase or decrease the said allocation. An information session will be held on 03 July 2020 10.00am at the Division's premises in Triq il-Kukkanja, Sta. Venera. The Application Form and annexes can be downloaded from the following web link: http://eufunds.gov.mt/en/EU%20Funds%20Programmes/Agricultural%20Fisheries%20Fund/Pages/ News-and-Events.aspx More information and/or registration for the said information session (until 02 July) can be requested on 22001108 or via e-mail to fpd.mfea@gov.mt or on www.eufundsmalta.gov.mt. Maritime and Fisheries Operational Programme 2014-2020 Project part-financed by the European Union European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) Co-financing rate: 37.5% European Union funds; 12.5% national funds; 50% private funds Investing in sustainable fisheries and aquaculture LAURA CALLEJA IN March, the world went in- to complete lockdown, leaving many adoptive parents in limbo. Svetlana Camilleri, who togeth- er with her husband have been trying to grow their family for over six years and had been fi- nally matched with a child from India in September 2019, had to endure complete lockdown and inability to see their prospective daughter. "After waiting for so long, and getting so far, finally reaching the final stages of the process, everything just come to a stand- still. It's not a nice situation to be in. We're all disappointed. It's been hard for us to go from being approved to two days later getting bad news," Camilleri had told MaltaToday. Angie and Kevin Farrugia share a similar story, saying they had also been given the green light in March to travel to India to pick up their second daughter – their process had initially begun in September 2018. "This is our second adoption from India, so we were already familiar with the process. Our first adoption began in 2016, and just one year later in September 2017 we were given the green light to travel to India and pick up our daughter… Our second adoption was more challenging; originally there was a smaller pool of countries adopting from India, however, that's changed and as such it's become more difficult," Farrugia said. Farrugia said that it was heart-breaking to live in limbo, given no indication when in- ternational flights would be re- opened. "We manage to talk to our daughter every few weeks, and she's always asking us: 'when are you coming mama?' It's a nightmare." She said adoptions from other countries have still managed to go ahead, citing the case of Ger- many, Belgium, Switzerland and Italy being able to collaborate with the Haitian government to give adoptive parents clearance to travel. "I want the Indian govern- ment to understand: we're not tourists, we're not going for a holiday, this is a humanitarian mission. We shouldn't have to wait," Farrugia said told Malta- Today. For both couples, the issue lies with the fact that India is currently not issuing visas and as such neither are able to trav- el. India currently has 491,170 cases of COVID-19 with 15,308 deaths reported so far. Despite Malta International Airport re- opening its doors on 30 June, there is no indication as to when India will reopen international flights. The agency facilitating the adoption, Agenzija Tama, said that it was in daily talks with in- stitutions trying to find the best way forward. "From a parent's perspective, the adoption pro- cess is completed and the next step is for them to pick up their daughters. The only stumbling block is a logistical one, which definitely us as an adoptions agency and AFAA have no con- trol on," the agency said. Agenzija Tama said that it was waiting for instructions from the India High Commission in Mal- ta as to when India will restart issuing visas. However, some good news may be on the horizon. According to reports from India, the country may soon be entering into bi- lateral agreements with the US, UK, France and Germany to re- start international air travel. The reports said that the India gov- ernment was discussing a "travel bubble" which would permit rel- atively unrestricted and risk-free travel. Until that happens unfortu- nately both couples are left in a situation where the future is far from certain. Reports have come out that children in care homes in the state of Kanpur have test- ed positive for COVID-19, with 57 confirmed cases so far. This has understandably left both families anxious to have their daughters' home. "The original plan was to travel together – my husband, myself and our daughter to India – but that won't be happening now. Instead my husband will stay in Malta with our daughter, and I will either travel with my sister or alone if that's not possible. I have my luggage ready, just wait- ing to be given the go-ahead," Farrugia. For two adoptive families, the fight to bring home their daughters from India has been a gruelling one COVID still leaving adoptive families in limbo India has passed half a million coronavirus infections as experts advise the government to prioritise reducing mortality over containing the spread of the virus. It comes as surging infections in Brazil and the United States pushed global cases toward 10 million. India's federal health ministry reported 17,000 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, taking the country's total infections past 500,000, according to Johns Hopkins university figures. Infections were surging in major cities including the capital, Delhi