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MaltaToday 18 May 2022 MIDWEEK

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14 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 18 MAY 2022 NEWS EUROPE These articles are part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. These articles reflect only the authors' view. The European Parliament is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. Sant urges common EU food purchases to counter sharp rise in prices Peter Agius petitions MEPs over woman still fighting for maintenance from ex-husband SEBASTIAN VASSALLO LABOUR MEP Alfred Sant is calling for a common platform for the purchase of essentials whose prices has spiked in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Malta has already experienced increase in the prices of import- ed grains, as well as newsprint and paper, and risks other infla- tionary impacts from the knock- on effects of the war. Addressing the European Parliament plenary during a debate on the socio-econom- ic consequences of the war in Ukraine for the EU, former PM and head of the Maltese S&D delegation Alfred Sant said sec- ond-round effects of the war could undermine social and financial stability in the Euro- pean Union. "Sanctions imposed on Russia have not yet reached their full impact, just like they are still not fully impacting EU Member States. The challenge is to pre- pare for the turmoil ahead," the MEP warned. Sant said coordination between member states for national sup- port plans would be of chief im- portance, with the EU providing common purchases to obtain prices that are more advanta- geous from suppliers. He highlighted how the model being discussed for gas and hy- drogen purchases to shield con- sumers from rising prices, could be retrofitted for food too. A sixth package of sanctions against Russia includes an im- port ban on all Russian oil trans- ported by sea or pipeline, both crude and refined. Sant said European govern- ments face a decline in their na- tional income by at least 2%. "They will seek to cushion the shocks, especially on low-in- come strata of their populations. In doing so, they should not al- low free market hang-ups to blur their interventions. "Second-round effects of the war will entail higher energy costs, fiscal impacts, cyberat- tacks and disruption of supply chains as we head towards an 8 to 22% increase in food prices alone over the next two years. This will undermine social and financial stability in the EU. "The EU can make a substantial difference with common pur- chases to obtain prices that are more advantageous from suppli- ers. The model being discussed in the case of gas and hydrogen could be extended to food." LAURA CALLEJA FORMER MEP candidate Pe- ter Agius is petitioning the Eu- ropean Parliament on behalf of a Maltese woman fighting to receive maintenance for her ex-husband who lives in France. The mother of two has been waiting 11 years to receive maintenance despite a Maltese court's ruling on the matter. The case concerns "Mrs M", who in 2009 separated from her husband "Mr M", who then left Malta and went to France. Mrs M was given custody of the cou- ple's two children, and the lo- cal courts decreed that she was owed €1,100 per month from her husband in maintenance. "Such maintenance decree which has the full force of the law in Malta was never execut- ed in France, and the monthly maintenance was never paid," Agius said in the petition. Agius said that Mrs M sought the help of the European system of recognition of judgements established as per Regulation 4/2009 to enforce the mainte- nance decree in France. The former MEP candidate said that the Maltese court de- cree was submitted to the Mal- tese National Authorities as per European Law 11 years ago. However, the execution of this law was never put into place. Mrs M was never given a reason as to why the regulation was not put into place. "The officials in charge at the national authority in Malta re- fer to ongoing contacts with the French authorities, which have failed to deliver any outcome for 11 long years. Mrs M re- mains in the dark, without any explanation as to the reasons for the insufferable delay or to the actual state of play on the satisfaction of her due rights." Agius said that may be the case of a "dysfunctioning rela- tionship between national au- thorities in particular cases or a lack of communication with the citizen in others." Furthermore, he said that the system required better moni- toring to unblock the "bottle- necks" and ensure that every case is prioritised. "Mrs M has been pushing for her maintenance with the Mal- tese national authority with- out ever getting much of an explanation in return, raising her children with hardship, on her own means while these be- came teenagers from toddlers, without the due support of the maintenance decided by the Maltese court." Agius said that having dis- cussed the case with the nation- al authorities himself, he found that no "concrete explanation justifying such delays" was put forward, nor was Mrs M offered any to an appeal. "In this case, however, we see a total collapse of the system, which is showing itself inade- quate to provide solutions," he said. The former MEP candidate said that the European Com- mission should consider put- ting into place some sort of appeal or review mechanism to an overlying European office when national authorities fail to achieve results for the citizen in their roles as facilitators of rec- ognition of judgments. Moreover, it should consider whether the system of collab- oration between national au- thorities should be subject to an ad hoc troubleshooting forum where cases without a solution for longer than a predetermined period are discussed in a dis- crete exchange involving the European Commission with a view of unblocking the pending situation. "The European project failed Mrs M, and we must see clear- ly the reasons for this and the ways to secure a result for Mrs M and her children and how to avoid similar delays for other cases," Agius said. Labour MEP Alfred Sant advocates for a common purchase platform to shield EU citizens from price hikes due to the knock-on effects of the war

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