Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1536815
5 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 25 JUNE 2025 NEWS OPEN CALL FOR PROJECT PROPOSALS Extension of Deadline With reference to the announcement of Call 28 focusing on Public Sector Investment in Research and Innovation launched under Priority 1. PO 1 - A more competitive and smarter Europe by promoting innovative and smart economic transformation and regional ICT connectivity, RSO1.1. Developing and enhancing research and innovation capacities and the uptake of advanced technologies (ERDF) of the European Regional Development Fund, announced on 6 th April 2025, the Managing Authority responsible for the ERDF/CF/JTF 2021- 2027 Programme is extending the deadline for the submission of project proposals. The deadline is being extended from Friday 4 th July 2025 to Friday 1 st August 2025 at 16.00. For further information, the Managing Authority can be contacted via email on fondi.eu@gov.mt. PN must return to centre-left roots, says former PN deputy leader Mario de Marco THE Nationalist Party must re- turn to the centre-left, former deputy leader Mario de Marco has suggested through his pro- posed line of action for the next PN leader. "We were at our strongest when we occupied the cen- tre-left of the political spec- trum," he said in an opinion piece in the Times of Malta. "This is a window of oppor- tunity for the PN. We must demonstrate that we are ready to halt the decline by taking the bold decisions that Labour is not prepared to take." De Marco stressed that the party's new leader must act immediately without going in- to the grace period of the first hundred days of an elected leader, often called the honey- moon period. He said this would bring in- ternal stability and convince the electorate that the PN is ready to lead once again. "He should, in my opinion, relocate the PN leadership and its HQ from the Pietà building to the AŻAD building in Val- letta and privatise NET TV, keeping only limited airtime for political programmes." De Marco said such decisions would help address the party's financial situation and send a strong message that the PN is embracing change. The former deputy leader added that the PN must also publish a policy paper on party financing to eliminate any per- ceived or real dependencies be- tween donors and political par- ties. He highlighted that this policy paper should also advo- cate for full-time parliamentar- ians to remove perceived links between members of parlia- ment, lobbyists and donors. On planning, he called for a firm stance on ODZ land, with no new buildings allowed ex- cept for genuine agricultural needs. He also urged stronger local councils and policies that preserve Malta's towns, villag- es, and streetscapes. He noted that Malta is fac- ing growing inequality, where young people are priced out of the property market and pen- sioners struggle with inflation. The PN must show it can de- liver economic growth that is socially fair, he said. De Marco also stressed that institutions like the police and the attorney general must work independently. He said the PN must lead, not follow, in this area and warned against being seen as controlled by NGOs. "The new leadership of the PN will have to hit the ground running, as it is likely that the Labour government will call for an early election." He said that it is up to party to show that they [PN] mean business. "We have done it before, and we can do it again," he said. "By working together. By unit- ing behind a new leader and a shared vision." This comes after the Nation- alist Party kicked off their lead- ership race last Sunday, as the call for expressions of interest opened on Sunday at 2:00pm and will close on 29 June at 2:00pm. One day after the leadership race started, Adrian Delia con- firmed he will contest the PN leadership for a third time af- ter being ousted from the role in 2020. The leadership race comes after a MaltaToday survey re- vealed that the Labour Party has increased its lead over the Nationalist Party from 24,000 votes in April to nearly 39,000 now. According to the MaltaTo- day survey, Labour enjoys a 14-point lead over the opposi- tion, putting 39,000 votes be- tween them. JULIANA ZAMMIT jzammit@mediatoday.com.mt We must demonstrate that we are ready to halt the decline by taking the bold decisions Mario de Marco