Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1400707
5 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 11 AUGUST 2021 NICOLE MEILAK MIRIAM Dalli has called for an international agreement to address climate change after a damning UN report, but de- fendeed Malta's position to seek special status in EU talks. Dalli, who is minister for en- ergy and sustainable develop- ment, had argued a couple of weeks ago that as a periphery state, Malta would seek special status in the EU's Green Deal package. But the UN report released on Monday paints a a bleak picture unless deep cuts in global car- bon emissions are undertaken. "If we really want to address climate change, we need to set- tle on an international agree- ment, because that's where you can have a real level playing field," Dalli said on Tuesday. However, she defended Mal- ta's position on special con- sideration throughout the EU Green Deal negotiations, which could see new taxation meas- ures on shipping and airlines. Being an island State, Malta could be hard hit by such meas- ures. "When I say special considera- tion, I mean these realities need to be taken into consideration when compared to other coun- tries," she said, referring to Mal- ta being on the EU's periphery and dependent on maritime and air connections. "There are different realities. For a country in mainland Eu- rope, air connections aren't as important as it is for a country like Malta," she said. Dalli added that she still be- lieves that every EU country should play its part to combat climate change, but each coun- try's reality needs to be taken into account. One measure detailed in the EU's Fit-for-55 green package is a kerosene tax on the aviation and maritime sectors. The Mal- ta business lobby had warned that this will impact cargo and tourism sectors in Malta, and Dalli shared similar concerns. "The moment you put a kero- sene tax on aviation and on the transport of goods, products coming to Malta will be much more expensive than a prod- uct being transported between France and Germany," she said. Key industry groups in Europe have been actively lobbying against some of the upcoming proposals under the 'Fit for 55' package, to weaken short-term climate action, a report pub- lished by the think-tank Influ- enceMap revealed last month. A survey of 216 industry asso- ciations, which gave feedback to the commission on EU climate goals in 2020, revealed only 36 percent of the support the plan to cut emissions by 55-percent by 2030. Under the fit-for-55 package, the most-lobbied files have been the EU Emissions Trading System (EU carbon market) and the proposed carbon border tax. After UN climate report Miriam Dalli defends special treatment for Malta but calls for global agreement Miriam Dalli says she believes that every EU country should play its part to combat climate change, but insists each country's reality needs to be taken into account MATTHEW VELLA THE mayor of the Sicilian port town of Augusta, Giuseppe Di Mare, has questioned the role of the region's port authority AD- SP, after stopping the departure of the new Maltese ferry service Ponte over a rival bid by com- petitor Virtù Ferries. The Ponte ferry service con- necting Valletta to Augusta, near Catania, was stopped at the eleventh hour over a bid by Virtù, which connects Pozzallo to Valletta, to also obtain a de- parture slot from the port. But Augusta mayor Di Mare and councillor Tania Patania have complained that the port authority ADSP was preventing Augusta from having its own maritime connection to Maltese tourism. "It is legitimate for us to ques- tion the role of the ADSP and its ability to assess such private initiatives that benefit us collec- tively... this cavalier behaviour truly risks the economic revival of eastern Sicily and Augusta." The councillors called on the ADSP to employ a more ob- jective and standardised con- cession system that allows fer- ry services to bring over more tourism to Augusta. Ponte Ferries this week said it was forced to delay the launch of its fast ferry service to Sic- ily due to a legal challenge by Virtù Ferries, which objected to the company's use of the Au- gusta Port and is trying to get its own concession from the port authorities of Augusta and Catania. Ponte Ferries said the objector had submitted a contestation at the "eleventh hour" over the use of the berthing area in Augusta that Ponte had applied for last November. But the claim was denied by Virtù Ferries. "Ponte Ferries have once again had to delay their ferry service, no doubt causing their clients much angst. This time they are seek- ing to [brush off] their respon- sibility by seeking to shift the blame on Virtù Ferries, alleging that we have made a last-min- ute legal challenge. Virtù Fer- ries made no such, or indeed any other, challenge," the com- pany said in a statement. Virtù said it has applied for berthing facilities at the Port of Augusta and the respective applications are yet to be ap- proved. "Mindful of time required and unlike our competitors we re- frained from selling tickets for this route, and we will not sell until such time as our permit is approved. In contrast, our com- petitors have, since 23 June, been selling tickets to the public in the knowledge that they were not in a position to guarantee the service they were selling," Virtù said. Augusta mayor complains of port authority's inefficiency in Ponte-Virtù debacle Ponte Ferries said it was forced to delay the launch of its fast ferry service to Sicily due to a legal challenge by Virtù Ferries