A Presidential havoc

GRTU is very proud that Malta is holding the EU Council Presidency and it is with great honour that we welcomed the leaders of the European Union in our home country. GRTU, however, regrets to have to say that this has resulted in a logistical nightmare for businesses in Valletta.

This is not about security, even though some considerations here were also required. Businesses in Valletta understood that certain changes might be necessary and when required they even removed their outside tables and chairs to make way for the passing visiting dignitaries.

The conditions imposed on businesses were however ridiculous. Businesses in Republic Street were given not even a day’s notice that they will not be allowed to accept customers for a whole four hours during the afternoon. Customers caught in coffee shops were not allowed to exit during this timeframe and restaurants in Archbishop Street were asked to remain closed for the whole day. GRTU condemns the approach where businesses have to dance to whatever tune our authorities play, no matter how amateurish and antibusiness this is. There was no consideration to the impact that this had on loss of business and schedules that had already been committed with their customers and employees.

We expect the presidency to benefit Malta and to leave more money in our economy. We expect our visitors to spend some euros in Malta and take home beautiful memories and gifts for their colleagues and loved ones. We certainly do not expect the authorities to raise barricades to keep the commercial activity in Valletta out of sight and reach.

GRTU will not accept that businesses are treated as second class. Parking spaces for their customers have been taken away to make way for the residents. The most unsightly structures have been placed in front of their shops in Merchants Street, the most beautiful street in Valletta, when GRTU had worked hard to clear the area even from market stalls. Restaurants feel the slow down because clients are not coming to Valletta as visiting this city has become a logistic nightmare and they are staying away.

How well Malta fares in this presidency is not only measured by the number of meetings we chair and the pictures showing our high officials shaking hands with the leaders of Europe. The Maltese citizens and businesses must be inconvenienced in the least possible way. These people live in Valletta, they feed their families and pay their employees from their shops in Valletta. They cannot just hit pause until this six-month ordeal is over.

The EU Presidents Tusk, Tajani and Junker all talk about the social crisis the EU is experiencing. People are not feeling they belong in Europe and feel at a distance. They call on our policy makers to bring the people closer to Europe and drive Europe home. GRTU asks the Presidents Tusk, Tajani and Junker to join GRTU in its appeal to the Maltese authorities not to turn the presidency into a nightmare for Maltese citizens and businesses. The country and Europe does not afford to have its citizens and businesses feel even more distanced from Europe because it is simply a headache for them and they are treated as second class.

Logistical planning started at the eleventh hour and we are making a fool of ourselves. GRTU has appealed for proper planning during every single meeting where the Presidency was discussed. It was evident even back then, over a year ago, that the authorities are so overwhelmed by the number of meetings they will be chairing that logistics were being left by the side. We have unfortunately been proven right and our businesses are suffering.

GRTU appreciates the intense pressure this puts on a small country like Malta and our Police Force’s commitment to ensure safety but logistics and the way people and businesses are handled needs immediate and drastic improvements.