Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1324024
PAGE 3 TRUTH IS OF NO COLOUR WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT/COVID19 SUNDAY • 3 JANUARY 2021 • ISSUE 1105 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY maltatoday Malta loses out on EU cash for gas pipeline New documents from German media giant CWL show alleged 1 million Swiss francs invoice for Mifsud's ice hockey consultancy PAGE 5 SPIEGEL REVEAL ON JOE MIFSUD 'Overwhelmed, tired and unprepared': how teachers felt when COVID closed schools PAGES 8-9 School under COVID €1.95 EU will not finance Malta gas pipeline as Commission pushes for hydrogen solutions MATTHEW VELLA MALTA will not be getting any EU cash to finance its gas pipe- line to Sicily, after the Europe- an Commission ignored the is- land's final bid in the last round of Connecting Europe Facility funds. In 2019, Malta's attempt to get finance for the €400 mil- lion pipeline was punished by the EC's de-prioritisation of gas projects to move fast on climate change targets. Malta wants to procure natural gas from the European mainland directly because its supply of gas to the Delimara power station is procured by a floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessel. Now that it has lost out on the last disbursement of the €23 billion CEF founds, Malta will have to change tack on its en- ergy plans because the next PCI list in 2021 – the fifth – will be more stringent on gas projects. This means it will have to go for a hydrogen-ready system, so the proposed pipeline will have to be able to transport hydro- gen. Charles Mallia Azzopardi 'Vaccine concerns may be understandable but they are misplaced' INTERVIEW MT2 THE Catholic respite cen- tre for the disabled Id-Dar tal-Providenza has requested further documentation on a surprise pledge of €500,000 by the Tunisia-based Catco Group Capital Investment. The donation was formally announced by former Op- position leader Adrian Delia. But Id-Dar tal-Providenza said it would not only rely on documentation provided by the company, but carry out its own verification process be- fore accepting the donation. "Acceptance of the donation is subject to the Home's inter- nal verification process. "In line with approved pol- icies of the Archdiocese of Malta, cash donations above €5,000 and other donations and pledges above €10,000 from individuals and compa- nies are subject to a vetting process," the home said. PAGE 5 Stunning €500,000 donation to get due diligence