Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1517660
4 NEWS 4 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 20 MARCH 2024 MARIANNA CALLEJA mcalleja@mediatoday.com.mt LABOUR MEP candidate Clint Azzopardi Flores accused President Roberta Metsola of "fooling people" when speaking about the lack of translators at the European Parliament. He was citing excerpts from what he claimed to be a correspondence letter between the EP President and the Prime Minister. "Roberta Metsola wrote to Prime Minister Robert Abela on 8 April, but on 30 January, the resolution by the general secretary had already been passed," he said on TVM's Xtra. Last week, Labour MEP Cyrus Engerer slammed Metsola for her failure to ensure the translation of Maltese speeches in the parlia- ment during the next five years. Taking to Facebook, Engerer explained that during the current EP term, Maltese speeches were translated during every meeting held by the institution. In comments to MaltaToday, a spokesperson for the European Parliament President claimed that Prime Minister Robert Abela did not reply to letters sent by Robert Metsola regarding the lack of Maltese interpreters at the institution. Meanwhile, the Office of the Prime Minis- ter told MaltaToday that the President of the European Parliament should not attribute her own shortcomings to the Government. During Xtra, Azzopardi Flores accused Met- sola of evading responsibility, stating that she "threw out the Maltese language." He criticised Metsola for failing to take action or identify existing problems faced by Maltese interpreters, asserting, "she didn't make an ac- tion plan, she didn't see what the problem was." Pressed by host Saviour Balzan on whether the issue also lay with the government, Flores said Metsola should have spoken to the Mal- tese embassy for the EU. He explained that while communicating with interpreters in Brussels, he was informed that they need improved working conditions as well. The letter dated 8 February 2024, seen by MaltaToday, shows Metsola acknowledging the need for more interpreters and translators in Brussels. Metsola stated in the letter that the European Parliament is ready to work with the govern- ment to tackle the issues, but also informed that the EP is already addressing this. "With the aim of addressing the shortage of linguists, the European Parliament has initiat- ed a cooperation program with the University of Malta, aimed at providing targeted assis- tance for the training of conference interpret- ers," Metsola wrote in her letter. Metsola concluded her letter by acknowledg- ing the importance of Maltese in the EU polit- ical sphere, stating that not only MEPs need to express themselves, but citizens have the right witness the democratic process in their own mother tongue. In the second document shown by the MEP candidate on Xtra, which is dated 30 January 2024, Secretary-General Alessandro Chioc- chetti confirms that "despite adequate precau- tions," the required Maltese linguists are not available in sufficient numbers. Labour MEP candidate says Metsola 'fooling people' on lack of EP translators Hamrun band club will rent property from government once sale is completed Labour MEP candidate Clint Azzopardi Flores (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday) LETTER OF INTENTION I the director Amanda Borg Grech, of Adnama Company Ltd., hereby declare our intention to register our company for an Employment Agency License in accordance with Article 23 of the Employment and Training Services Act, 1990 (Act XXVIII of 1990). The activities that we propose to carry out under the scope of our Employment Agency License are as follows: 1. Temping agency – the Company will seek local / foreign talent, undergo interview stages whether online or in person and engage the applicants with the Company. 2. The Company will then contract with third party companies to be able to place talents in their business place. 3. This can be either on a daily contractual basis or on a seasonal basis. 4. Advertising the filling of vacancies 5. Keeping a register of applicants for employment Our business address is as follows: Adnama Company Ltd, 101 Mensija Road, San Ġwann SGN 1604 Our Company Registration Number is: C102541. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Once purchased, the band club will then rent the proper- ty from the government. The purchase is the latest in government's attempt to protect band clubs from be- ing evicted by the owners they rent their property from. Government currently has six ongoing promise of sale agree- ments and has bought five other clubs. Addressing a press confer- ence, Bonnici said that while it was not a small investment, it was quite significant. He reiter- ated government's aim to pro- tect band clubs' cultural signifi- cance. In total, the government will have spent €19 million to buy the 12 band clubs. "If anyone had doubts wheth- er the festa is important or not, today it is recognised by UNE- SCO as part of the world's In- tangible Cultural Heritage," he said. "We haven't given up on sav- ing more band clubs because we have a positive mind-set and are set on saving them." Government enters into promise of sale agreement between the arts council and the private owners of the San Gaetano band club property Culture Minister Owen Bonnici