Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1393937
14 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 18 JULY 2021 OPINION SOMEHOW in Malta we tend to oscillate between extremes. This week's draconian handling of government's self-inflict- ed panic on the pandemic is a case in point. We went from a €300 voucher to attract party- ing teenagers to closing down language schools and travel to most tourists. Striking the golden mean between extreme solutions seem to be as elusive as finding common ground be- tween political parties. In this context, I believe that Bernard Grech hit the right chord in his call last week for a country which moves from a sum of extremes to working for balanced solutions to the issues afflicting society right now. The natural and urban envi- ronment is a main battleground for this. It is evident that right now we are on the extreme side of development. The widening of the road to Marsalforn is a clear example for this. I go to Marsalforn pretty regularly since ages. I cannot remember of one time when I was stuck in traffic on the road to this idyl- lic seaside village. And yet, the government decides to widen the road, taking up 10,000 me- tres of natural habitat and good farmland. Still, per se, devel- opment can be a good thing. There are a hundred other pro- jects which deserve better con- crete and asphalt like a better access to Mġarr in Gozo or the mentioned bypass around Vic- toria. Government's policy of ex- tremes leads to the radicalisa- tion of public opinion, which is now largely set against develop- ment in general. The matter can be seen from a macro as well as from a micro-perspective. In a home visit in Attard last week, a couple in their fifties showed me their anguish with the de- velopment next door. Their neighbour's house was pulled down and a four-storey behe- moth took its place. They have no objection to the four storeys. They know that it's the policy and can accept that – howev- er they cannot fathom how the authorities accepted a design which sees their neighbour's main door entrance at eye-level from their front door. Now they will have to admire the neigh- bour's shoes each time they cross each other. Is it so hard to think of a planning policy with basic respect of neighbours and street aesthetics? And how about migration extremes? Once again we os- cillate between stopping the vulnerable at sea to giving easy permits for thousands to en- ter the labour market without much consideration of their impact on Maltese workers. Is it so hard to devise a migration policy tailored to our needs, keeping a firm eye on the work- ing conditions of the Maltese worker? It is not that hard real- ly, if you seek the compromise with good will. This is to me, the main message that Bernard Grech conveyed last Saturday. A call for all those of good will to strive for a new Malta which needs to steer away from ex- tremes and find the middle ground. I believe we need this espe- cially in the challenging times ahead. Labour's extremes led us to the greylist. Abela's extreme radicalisation led him to refuse all collaboration with the Op- position, having the cheek to antagonise the business com- munity in his MCESD address. His message to businesses about FATF greylisting was basically, do your bit to catch businesses red-handed in tax evasion. Did we hear that well? Is the gov- ernment which played business as usual on Panama Papers and 17 Black now putting the blame on business, expecting them to snoop on each other like in a communist state? You have to see it to believe it. An election is round the cor- ner. In this country we have had too many elections with the choice of the lesser evil. Most times it is the lesser evil be- tween the incompetent and the corrupt. This time round, Abe- la is demonstrating that Labour is a dangerous blend of both the said quantities. I believe we de- serve better. I think more of us should keep an eye on Bernard Grech's call for a country which can dare for more than the bet- ter evil. Peter Agius is a PN MEP candidate kellimni@peteragius.eu Bernard's call Peter Agius IN 2011, the European Un- ion implemented a directive on Cross-Border Health Care, which aimed to clarify the rules on access to safe and good qual- ity treatment across EU member states. As European Citizens we have the right to access health- care in any EU country and to be reimbursed for care abroad from our home country. This directive sets out the conditions under which a patient may trav- el to another EU country to re- ceive any required medical care. It covers healthcare costs, as well as the prescription and de- livery of medications and med- ical devices. No one can deny that since the implementation of the Cross-Border Health Directive the lives of many patients have changed for the better. This in- cludes patients who suffer from rare diseases who in most cases the treatment can only be re- ceived in specific countries. This week I had the opportuni- ty to co-host an event with the International Patient Organ- isation for Primary Immuno- deficiencies who dedicate their efforts in improving awareness, access to early diagnosis and optimal treatments for prima- ry immunodeficiency patients worldwide. Primary Immunode- ficiencies are a large and grow- ing group of diseases recognised as rare disorders. Encompassing over 400 different disorders, these are caused when some components of the immune sys- tem do not work properly. The truth is that there is still a long way to go to fully achieve the objectives of the legislation. I welcome the intention of the Eu- ropean Commission to evaluate the success so far of the Directive because only by acknowledging the current misgivings can the situation be improved. Changes are crucial especially for smaller Member States where expertise in the field of rare diseases are limited and being able to benefit from the directive to the fullest is crucial. Even during the time of COV- ID the cross-border healthcare framework is essential for ra- re disease patients. Talking to these individuals and even Euro- pean wide surveys on the topic has shown that the majority of rare disease patients are willing to travel to another country to receive treatment. Why should current legislation stand in the way of patients getting the treat- ment they require, especially if they cannot do so in their own country. That is why we ultimately need to build an effective framework that help ensure rare disease patients across the EU get the treatment they need and at a timeframe which is feasible for them. To build this framework, we at the European Parliament need the right information and to truly understand the needs of patients especially when they try to receive curative treatments abroad. Events such as the one that was organised this week help to shape the future development of legislation in all EU institutions. It became clear from listening to patients with rare diseases and their experiences that primary immunodeficiencies is an al- ready large group of rare genet- ic disorders and it is constantly growing, so the experience of these patients who have received curative treatments in other countries will prove valuable for us in decision-making processes. The Cross-Border Health Di- rective is proof that when the EU listens to the concerns of its citizens, it can have a meaningful positive impact on many lives. It is our duty to keep on building on this success by making sure that the directive is a benefit to all, including those patients who suffer from a rare disease who have little choice but to have to travel to another country for treatment. It is our duty to en- sure that we listen to current concerns and improve such di- rectives as soon as possible for the benefit of many Europeans. Alex Agius Saliba is a Labour MEP (S&D) Ensuring cross-border health directive's benefits to all citizens Alex Agius Saliba