A new (electric) Gozo Channel
Source: timesofmalta.com
Gozo needs good connectivity. So say the over 1,650 Gozitan students attending tertiary education institutions in Malta. So say the over 3,500 Gozo residents employed on a full-time basis in Malta. So say the Gozitan patients who must visit the hospital in Malta for services that are not yet available at the Gozo General Hospital.
As part of my effort to understand the needs on the ground, I regularly travel to Gozo, and this is what most families speak to me about: the imperative of a reliable connection between Gozo and Malta.
Notwithstanding the increase in demand for the service (6.5 million passengers crossed the channel in 2023), the government dragged its feet to introduce a fourth ferry for the Gozo Channel fleet.
While the fourth ferry can be considered as a positive step, comfort, its reduced capacity and accessibility leaves much to be desired.
On several occasions, however, the impact of a fourth ferry is lost and passengers are offered a reduced service due to repairs. In January, the MV Malita was out of service and, more recently, the MV Nikolaos underwent maintenance for over a month.
Keep in mind that Gozo Channel is paying over €10,000 a day to lease the 37-year-old ferry (excluding fuel costs); hence, the government has already forked out over €20 million. That is enough money to invest in a state-of-the-art ferry that does not rely on fossil fuels.
There are several cases of islands that have followed this route. Take the success story of the EU-funded E-ferry project that has led to the development of a 100 per cent electrically powered, emission-free ferry for passengers and cars, trucks and cargo for island communities in Denmark.
The Danish authorities are also using national funds to build further electric ferries or to retrofit existing diesel ferries into battery-driven ones.
This is what I want to do for Gozo as an MEP. We need to grasp EU opportunities and apply them with concrete benefits to the Gozitans.
Gozo has been chosen to participate in the EU Mission '100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030'. But, beyond the headlines and fake propaganda on social media, the government has done close to nothing to make this a reality. Upgrading the Gozo Channel fleet would be a good starting point to move from empty promises to tangible actions. But this government has wrong priorities.
Robert Abela and his clique at Castille would rather invest EU funds in boutique hotels and yoga-meditation hotels owned by its ministers instead of better connectivity. In 10 years, not only did the government not upgrade the fleet adequately but also failed to invest in the ports.
Mġarr Harbour has become far too small to handle the sheer number of cars and trucks that cross daily. It needs investment to house more berths and operate with more ships. It's a big project but it is needed because traffic will increase even more in the future.
Gozo also needs good connectivity to cater for the over 400,000 inbound tourists who visit the island, half of whom are domestic tourists. Tourism remains an important economic sector for the island and its community.
At the same time, the link is also vital for the thousands of Maltese who visit Gozo to escape from urban and over-populated areas in Malta to enjoy the countryside that Gozo still has to offer.
Gozo also needs good connectivity for its business sector. This government will go down in history for removing a cargo service between Gozo and Malta. Just a few days ago, the Malta Maritime Forum reiterated an appeal already made several times by consecutive Opposition spokespersons to introduce a roll-on/roll-off service to transport cargo between Malta Freeport and the Grand Harbour to Mġarr, in Gozo. This will also help Gozitan businesses in their operation and logistics.
Furthermore, Gozo Channel needs new management, one that is not controlled by the government. The company has issued a €750,000 tender to carry out work on a leased office that is not being used. Isn't that a textbook case of mismanagement? Above all, Gozo Channel needs an ambitious management, one that seeks to invest more in the service and make it more feasible to reduce reliance on State aid rather than one that deters its customers from using the service on a Sunday between 5pm and 8pm.
Ten per cent of the overall EU funds allocated for the Maltese islands are dedicated to Gozo but Gozitans are not involved in setting the priorities and in the implementation of projects. We can't just call Gozo an island region for the sake of it. We need to truly make Gozo an island region by giving it autonomy in its decisions on the use of EU funds, for instance to improve its connectivity.
Gozitans cannot be treated as second-class citizens. Hence, my commitment to put Gozo at the centre of my work if elected to the European Parliament and to keep an eye on Gozo not only in terms of funding opportunities to improve its connectivity but also by following every legislative development in European Parliament committees (beyond the Committee for Regional Policy), such as the committees for transport and EU budget, which have an impact on the island's connectivity.
I am determined to work on all these fronts if elected to the European Parliament. This is why I have opened an office in Gozo to have a permanent base from where I can understand Gozitans' concerns and aspirations.
It's time to use your vote to send a clear message to the government that there is another way of doing politics.