See: Minister Owen Bonnici defends a €36,000 trip to Mexico
The Minister of Culture, Owen Bonnici, defended the cost of a trip he and two staff members took to Mexico last year.
The total cost of the flights was €32,790, while the accommodation amounted to €3,201.
The UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policy and Sustainable Development, called Mondiacult 2022, took place between 28 and 30 September 2022. The dates for the trip of the Maltese delegations were from 26 September to -2 October, and the delegates who attended were the minister, the permanent secretary and one member of the secretariat staff. The minister and one of the staff of the secretariat, however, only attended between 26 and 30 September.
When asked to justify this expenditure, Bonnici said that the Ministry of Culture has a responsibility to participate in major cultural events, including the UNESCO meeting in Mexico.
He said that Malta was invited to participate in the UNESCO world event, “where the highest delegates, ministers from almost every country in the world attended.”
The Minister said that, without a doubt, if he had chosen not to attend the meeting, then the main news would have been that Malta was the only country in the region that did not attend.
He said that the selection of the site by UNESCO meant that they had to cross several continents, “but the flight was one that attracted this kind of expenditure.” But he believes that Malta should have attended.
He also claimed that, when it comes to procurement issues, the government is careful to always get a good deal, and it is also careful when it comes to costs.