Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1073679
WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT WEDNESDAY EDITION €1.00 Newspaper post WEDNESDAY • 23 JANUARY 2019 • ISSUE 622 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY EDITORIAL • PAGE 9 MATTHEW VELLA A report by the European Com- mission on the sale of citizenship by countries like Malta has de- clared that Brussels will "continue monitoring" the schemes through a group of experts from EU member states. The report focused on a compari- son of golden passport schemes in Malta, Cyprus and Bulgaria, but of- fered a watered-down conclusion from fears last year that Commis- sioner Vera Jourova would come down hard on the sale of EU citi- zenship. Even though Brussels cannot stop member states from extending citi- zenship to the global rich who will pay for it, the report still echoed Jourova's original complaint that such schemes "pose risks for the Member States and the Union as a whole, including in terms of secu- rity, money laundering, corruption, circumvention of EU rules and tax evasion" and complained of "short- comings in the transparency and governance of such schemes." EU issues weak admonition on golden passport schemes PAGE 5 GRTU accuses Enemed of threatening striking petrol station owners YANNICK PACE VARIOUS petrol pumps across the island under the Enemed franchis- ing reported having been contacted by Enemed officials asking whether they will be striking and that reper- cussions will ensue if they do. This is what the Malta Cham- ber of SMEs (GRTU) has claimed, condemning this behaviour from a company that is supposed to be in- dependent. Enemed is a fuel distributor and supplier in Malta, supplying a wide array of fuels including petrol, die- sel, kerosene and jet fuel. GRTU threatened industrial action at the start of last week when meet- ings with the Minister for Energy and Water Management Joe Mizzi proved futile over €21 million funds needed to upgrade over 80 petrol stations across Malta. GRTU said that any contact from Enemed will not succeed in prevent- ing petrol stations from safeguard- ing their interests. "GRTU will be taking all the nec- essary measures to protect its mem- bers," a spokesperson said. Speaking to MaltaToday last night, Enemed Chairman Kevin Chircop categorically denied that threats were made to petrol station owners. "We were calling fuel stations in view of our service to the clients," he said. Enemed insists it only reminded owners of their contractual agreement to provide petrol and diesel 24 hours a day PAGE 3 From the early hours yesterday, long queues were seen at petrol stations around the island, following news that stations would not offer automated services after 6pm