Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1458198
3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 9 MARCH 2022 NEWS ELECTION 2022 LUKE VELLA THE Labour Party is pledging to distribute the contraceptive pill and the intrauterine contracep- tive device for free if re-elected to government, party president Ramona Attard said. Speaking during an interview on ONE TV on Tuesday, she said the morning-after pill will also be available for free from pharmacies and health centres for all women. An exercise carried out by MaltaToday last year found that access to the morning-af- ter pill is limited because not all pharmacies stock it despite having been made legal in 2018. Similarly, the PN had pledged free contraception to everyone if elected to government, in or- der to address one of the lowest rates of condom use by men in Europe. It had also proposed free access to the morning af- ter pill, including at Mater Dei Hospital for victims of rape. Attard said a PL govern- ment will distribute menstru- ation-related products free of charge in schools to address the social stigma still associat- ed with this natural process. She also announced that the national breast cancer screen- ing service will be available also to women form 45 years of age. The PL president said the measures were part of a wider package of proposed reforms, "From the first hours of the election campaign we started announcing proposals and we will continue to do so in the coming days," she said. Robert Abela defends golden passport scheme ahead of European Parliament vote Labour pledges free contraception for women and the morning-after pill for all PRIME Minister Robert Abe- la has defended Malta's golden passport scheme ahead of a vote in the European Parliament call- ing for it to be scrapped by 2025. Speaking to journalists af- ter a meeting with the General Workers' Union, Abela said the government has strengthened its due diligence and that every applicant is scrutinised to the highest level. Abela argued that the scheme was "robust." He added that the money from this scheme had been used to fund a plethora of social and cultural projects. "Money from the scheme was used to fund medicine, help with the relief effort during the pandemic, to finance Puttinu cares... these were important in- vestments for the public and this is why I continue to defend the scheme, but if there are any res- ervations, we will try and resolve them so we can move forward," Abela said. When asked whether it was time to scrap the scheme giv- en the problems it has caused Malta at a European level, Abela said there was open dialogue on the subject and that when it was not possible to do due diligence, such as in the case of Russia, the scheme was closed to that group. MEPs will vote this afternoon on a report by Dutch MEP So- phie In't Veld (Renew) that calls for the stoppage of all citizen- ship-by-investment schemes by 2025 through a gradual phas- ing-out. The legislative report by Int't Veld means that the European Commission must give serious reasons to ignore a request to use its power of initiative and draw up a law that calls upon member states to stop golden passport schemes. Nationalist leader Bernard Grech said that his party sees the validity of the income from the golden passport scheme but in- sisted the names of people who acquire citizenship through it should be made public. On EU efforts to scrap such schemes, Grech said it was still too early to comment since discussions were ongoing but implied the PN will not ditch it. "One has to await the verdict. Our position on the citizenship by investment scheme is that we see the validity of the income from it, but there should be a genuine link with Malta, and the names should be public," Grech said. The PN leader said it was great Malta had a seat at the table as members of the European Union to discuss the issue. "We will keep insisting that the scheme is well managed and that no Russian citizens infil- trate Malta for ulterior motives," Grech said. Prime Minister insists applicants are scrutinised to the highest level • PN leader Bernard Grech says names of people who acquire citizenship should be made public Prime Minister Robert Abela (centre) flanked by finance minister Clyde Caruana (left) and GWU secretary general Josef Bugeja