‘This government has the environment at heart’ – PM

The Government “has the environment at heart”, Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Sunday, adding that this will be shown through the laying of a second interconnector and through the EU Green Deal.

Recently, Environment Minister Miriam Dalli announced that Malta plans to have a second interconnector by 2025. The Prime Minister said that Malta needed to address a shift in the island’s infrastructure, “which it is doing”.

“Infrastructure in Malta was a liability. Now, the Government wants to change this situation,” he said.

The Nationalist Party has said that the government copied its idea for a second interconnector. Abela brushed this off, saying that the Government “would have increased the water and electricity bills” had they copied the PN, citing that the Government saved citizens “half a billion euros” on water and electricity bills.

He was also critical of the way the PN proposed the plan of the interconnector, citing that the PN “did not think in the long term” in terms of the amount of electricity that the country would need.

“The growth of the economy and the demand for electricity go hand in hand. The PN either didn’t have enough vision, or it didn’t think that the economy will grow,” he said.

Abela remarked that the country is also looking to switch to hydrogen in the coming years in order to ensure that the targets of the EU Green Deal are reached.

“We are looking at eventually switching to hydrogen. Hydrogen is not a dream, but it is a longterm project,” he said.

On climate change, the Prime Minister mentioned that this will be an “opportunity for our economy”, where the country will be switching to electric cars and taking note of the recommendations of the European Green Deal. “So it is an investment, and it will be revolutionary.” He also remarked that this shift to a greener economy “will generate more jobs in the country.”

Abela highlighted the importance of the Labour Party being an individual entity which is separate from the government.

“Where the Government would not be in line with the party’s true motives, it is important for the Labour Party to highlight this to the Government.”

He remarked that this was shown when the Labour Party put forward its own set of proposals regarding the cannabis reform, which the Government will also evaluate, he said.

Economy and Covid-19

During the past week, the Government announced its economic vision for the coming years, where Abela claimed that he wants the country to become “a centre of excellence”.

The Prime Minister remarked that although the pandemic was negative as a whole, one has to look at the positives that emerged from it. The reality is that “if it wasn’t for the pandemic, digitalisation would have taken years.” Digitalisation is an important shift which all of the EU endorsed.

The Prime Minister remarked that the country needs to be open and efficient to change its methods of operation, otherwise, “if we resist change, we will fall behind.” He also lauded those who embraced the shift to a more digital mode of operation during the pandemic and were efficient in it.

He said that there was “very positive feedback” from the private sector. “They appreciate the way the Government guided them in difficult times,” he said.

“Either we are going to be content with targeting the average, or we target being the best. I want to be one of the first.”

He cited the positive handling of the pandemic in the country.

The Prime Minister remarked that it is aiming to address the issues of pollution when it comes to surrounding harbour areas.

He said that when it comes to cruise liners, he said that they tend to stitch on generators or keep their engines on while in port. “This means that they generate emissions and the fuel that they burn leaves more pollution.”

“We cannot accept this reality, and so the biggest alternative is for them to switch off, and then they take the electricity from land. We want to extend this idea to the shipyards as well.”

He remarked that this “will lead to a drastic change in emission levels” in these areas.

IIP scheme

On the €8 million donation to Hospice Malta, he said that this was possible through the passport scheme and added how much the scheme helped the country throughout this pandemic.

“One has to see the benefits it has created and how many people it helped… very serious people have invested in our country,” he said.