Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1517916
2 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 24 MARCH 2024 NEWS KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt ANNOUNCEMENT OF A CALL FOR PROJECT PROPOSALS UNDER European Social Fund+ 2021-2027 The Ministry responsible for European Funds would like to announce that it is launching a call for project proposals in the following area: Priority 2 - Fostering Active Inclusion for All Specific Objective: 4.9 – Integration of third country nationals The call will close on 20 th May 2024 at noon. The online application form for the submission of project proposals and supporting documentation are available on https://fondi.eu/what-funding-is-available/. Prospective Applicants are encouraged to refer to the European Social Fund+ Programme and the Eligibility Guidance Notes in order to check whether their proposals are eligible for funding through this call for project proposals. Further information on this call and on the European Structural and Investment Funds may be obtained from https://fondi.eu/. Any query should be sent by email on fondi.eu@gov.mt. A dedicated information session is being organised on Tuesday, 9th April, 2024 from 14:30 till 17:30 at the offices of Servizzi Ewropej f'Malta – 280, Republic Street, Valletta. Registration for the information session can be done by scanning the below QR code. Neutrality 'adequately safeguarded', State Advocate tells government on EU defence conclusions MALTA'S constitutional neu- trality is "adequately safeguard- ed" in the European Council conclusions on defence, accord- ing to written advice given by the State Advocate obtained by MaltaToday. The advice was requested by the Prime Minister's Head of Secretariat Glenn Micallef in the days preceding the Brussels summit held last week, which discussed security and defence matters. The Council conclusions agreed by all EU leaders, includ- ing the Maltese Prime Minister, called for increased defence ex- penditure in the wake of Rus- sia's continued aggression in Ukraine. However, the conclusions also included two clauses that called for respect towards each coun- try's security and defence policy. Robert Abela told journalists on Friday Malta had raised con- cerns over the summit conclu- sion wording and the need to conform with the Constitution. Malta, along with Ireland and Austria, is a neutral country. Ab- ela said the government had ob- tained written advice from the State Advocate prior to agreeing with the conclusions. MaltaToday asked to see the written advice given to the gov- ernment, which consisted of an email exchange between Glenn Micallef and the office of the State Advocate. The advice reads: "In the view of this Office, these conclusions adequately safeguard Malta's constitutional neutrality, in view of the non-committal word- ing regarding the funding of military support in paragraph 4 – 'including the possibility of funding military support', and also considering the caveat con- tained in para. 5 according to which 'Military support and EU security commitments will be provided in full respect of the security and defence policy of certain Member States and tak- ing into account the security and defence interests of all Member States.' Hence, provided that such features – and particular- ly the safeguard in para. 5 - are retained, Malta's constitutional neutrality may be deemed to be adequately safeguarded by the Conclusions." Defence and security have be- come hot topics in the run-up to the European Parliament elec- tions next June with the Euro- pean People's Party insisting on the need for increased defence spending and the creation of specific executive portfolio deal- ing with defence. Abela had criticised EP Presi- dent Roberta Metsola earlier this year, calling her a warmonger for emphasizing the need to boost EU defence spending. Metsola's remarks are reflect- ed in the conclusions that EU leaders agreed to in last week's summit, albeit with caveats that protect the interests of neutral countries like Malta. Prime Minister's Head of Secretariat Glenn Micallef Prime Minister Robert Abela (right) at the EU Council meeting last week