In due course, it would be beneficial to bring an EMF into the fold of the Community method, which means anchoring this institution in the framework of Union law [the Commission has suggested proceeding on the basis of art. 352 of the TFEU]. Within this framework – and only within it – it would make sense to entrust an EMF with a broader surveillance mission, including the task of monitoring compliance with the common rules, a role that is today assigned to the European Commission. II. A micro accelerator, including the completion of the banking union Let me now turn to the micro accelerator for the Economic Union: a Financing Union for Investment and Innovation. The aim is to better steer the euro area’s EUR 350 billion annual savings surplus towards productive investment, notably by shoring up equity which is the key to an innovation economy. Thanks to unified governance, this Financing Union would help circumvent bureaucratic barriers and foster synergies between the existing building blocks: the Juncker Investment Plan, the Capital Markets Union and the Banking Union.
A subject that often comes up for discussion is the cost of living allowance or COLA. It has to be recognized that in Malta the allowance is determined on the basis of a basic or social wage, and COLA is a flat euro amount, granted regardless of the level of pay. This limits its impact on competitiveness. Nevertheless, the award of COLA is disconnected from productivity gains and hence may constrain firms’ ability to respond to changing market conditions. It also raises the risk of secondary cost increases after an initial price shock, which may come for example from an increase in imported prices. It may not be possible to neutralise such increases in imported prices and simply compensate for them in wages without significantly losing competitiveness of the enterprises concerned, especially if our competitors are absorbing these external shocks through an internal devaluation. It is relevant to note that the world economy is going through unusual times where some countries are undergoing internal devaluations. Malta cannot afford to be oblivious of the impact that these realities exert on its competitiveness. The list of euro area countries passing through significant corrections is impressive, namely: Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Slovenia, Cyprus and Greece. This apart from other non-euro area member states that are also going through difficult and corrective changes in their economies.