Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1335955
NICOLE MEILAK THE Hibernians Stadium will be used to test and fly drones under the terms of a site access agree- ment signed between the foot- ball club and Malta Enterprise. The football ground was ap- proved for drone operations by Transport Malta's Civil Aviation Directorate. Anthony David Gatt, from Malta Enterprise, said the organ- isation had been speaking with stakeholders over the last two years, while cooperating with the aviation advisory committee on the way forward for the local drone industry. He emphasised that the done innovation ecosystem will be founded on three overarching principles - the safety of citizens, non-exclusivity, and operations that are in full respect of Malta's neutrality policy, given the po- tential for military use of drones. Charles Pace, director general within the Civil Aviation Direc- torate, said that UAV operators should be supported through full regulation. He also said the priva- cy of others had to be respected when making use of drones. A new certification system will allow verified academies to train UAV pilots. Roger Archer, the COO for Hawk Aerospace, was first to receive this certifi- cation today. "Setting up a drone centre in Malta was a natural step for the development of the industry. We're here today so this can happen," Archer said. "If we all work together to- wards common objec- tives I'm sure we'll put Malta on the map for drone aviation," he added. Enterprise Min- ister Miriam Dalli said the agree- ment was a clear sign of how Malta is diversifying its econo- my. "We're not only offering support to existing industries, but also looking to the future," she said, adding the location was appropriate given the near- by business incubation centre in Kordin. "This is a positive project that shows the synergy in our work as a government - we have two ministries working together to foster this niche," she said. Transport Minister Ian Borg pointed out that over 1,000 drones had been registered with Transport Malta through the online drone portal set up last November. "The regulator is crucial - we need to look at aviation as an- other transport sector," he said. 10 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 3 FEBRUARY 2021 NEWS Hibs stadium to serve as drone test site Ministers Ian Borg and Miriam Dalli (left) announced the launch of the drone innovation ecosystem through the first investment of its kind by the Malta Drone Center which will invest €500,000 and employ a number of professionals NATIONALIST MP Jason Az- zopardi said the Opposition will vote in favour of amendments that will see public holidays fall- ing on a weekend being added to the annual vacation leave enti- tlement. However, he warned that peo- ple needed more money in their wallets as opposed to more hol- idays. He also called on govern- ment to publish impact studies on the issue. It was a PN administration in 2005 that changed the law and stopped the practice to increase the annual leave entitlement by the number of public holidays that fell on a weekend in that particular year. The decision was part of an austerity package to trim public expenditure and in- crease productivity as Malta pre- pared to join the euro three years later. The Labour Party made it an electoral pledge to reverse the measure and parliament is cur- rently discussing the legal change, which was presnted by Minister within the OPM Carmelo Abela on Monday. Speaking in parliament on Tuesday, Azzopardi lashed out at the Labour government for the precarious employment condi- tions faced by workers over the past few years. This was his first formal parliamentary address since being tasked to shadow the employment portfolio by Oppo- sition leader Bernard Grech. "The average wage for a Maltese worker today stands at around €17,500, according to the NSO. When you ready a bit more and do some research, you'll find that a couple with two children earn- ing less than €19,346 is at risk of poverty and social exclusion," Azzopardi said. He lashed out at Finance Min- ister Clyde Caruana for saying that the living wage is impossible to implement with so many busi- nesses suffering. "The living wage was promised by Edward Scicluna in 2010 when the Labour Party was still in Op- position. They had 11 years to do this, three of which we were in surplus, but now it is completely out of the question," Azzopardi said. He commented on the number of workers that are over-quali- fied for the job they carry out. "In the last 10 years the number of over-qualified workers increased by 5%, to 12.8% of all Maltese and Gozitan workers between 20 and 64 years... You built an economy on cheap labour. From 2013 the Labour Party has created jobs that pay poverty-level wages, with less than €19,700," he said. Azzopardi said government should dedicate more EU funds to fighting social exclusion and poverty. Nationalist MEP David Casa had negotiated a financial pack- age worth €90 billion to be dis- tributed across all EU member states to help finance govern- ment projects dedicated towards work, poverty and social exclu- sion, he added. Malta has around €110 million worth of such funds, apart from added funding through the RE- ACT EU project that government can use by 2023. "Statistics also show that 23.7% of Maltese and Gozitan citizens have a tertiary level of education, compared to the European medi- an of 48.6%," he pointed out. "That is what happens when for the last seven years the Labour government has relied on the sale of passports only to grow the economy... This is a clear demon- stration that the Labour govern- ment has not planned or done anything in the last seven years in order to create quality work," Azzopardi insisted. Speaking just after him, government Whip Glenn Bedingfield said the gov- ernment's decision to "give back" public holidays that fall on a weekend signalled the difference between the PL and the PN. "It's good to hear the Opposi- tion saying it will vote for these amendments, although it appears to be half-heartedly with Jason Azzopardi asking us to publish studies... but this is the difference between us... at a time of auster- ity a PN government turned on workers and denied them public holidays leave but in the midst of a pandemic our government is reversing that position," Beding- field said. PN to vote in favour of weekend public holidays being added to vacation leave Jason Azzopardi