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6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 MARCH 2022 OPINION 2 maltatoday EXECUTIVE EDITOR KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt Letters to the Editor, MaltaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt Letters must be concise, no pen names accepted, include full name and address maltatoday | SUNDAY • 26 NOVEMBER 2023 Europe's green drive risks alienating ordinary citizens Editorial THE European Union's drive to green up its act by cutting carbon emissions is noble. In a world that is experiencing the social and economic repercussions of climate change with growing intensity, the EU's green agenda offers a glimmer of hope. The green transition offers a lot of promise but it also has its pitfalls that risk derailing the whole project unless European politicians navigate the waters with diligence. It is no coincidence this leader uses marine terminol- ogy to describe the task at hand since January 2024 will usher in new carbon taxes for cargo ships across the EU. These taxes are intended to hold the shipping indus- try responsible for its contribution to harmful carbon dioxide emissions. The intention is to punish the pol- luter and hopefully encourage a shift in behaviour and technology that is less harmful to the environment. On paper these aims appear noble but in practice they will result in higher consumer prices and will have minimal impact on the hoped-for green transition. The new carbon taxes that will be phased in over a couple of years will simply make cargo more expensive to transport with ordinary citizens being made to pick up the bill. Admittedly, the shipping industry has been too slow in transitioning to cleaner alternatives but the net result of the new carbon taxes will end up penalising Euro- pean consumers that are already under pressure from inflation. The additional costs will make everyday goods more expensive as companies recoup the tax surcharge from customers. Maltese consumers will also feel the hit. Every trailer brought over from Italy will see its cargo cost increase between €90 and €100, a substantial cost that is expect- ed to be higher in subsequent years. The problem with this regime is that the alternatives to cleaner transportation of cargo are still not around and the few that are, are very expensive. In short, the technology has not evolved enough to prompt a shift that the new taxes hope to achieve. The end game is one where ships will continue to pollute and consumers will end up paying more for their supermarket trolley and their daily needs. The pressure to keep up with the cost of living will trump any noble consideration to safeguard the environment. Undoubtedly, this course of action risks alienating ordinary citizens, a phenomenon that is gradually unfolding across the EU and which risks ushering in far-right politicians who can speak the language of the people but whose solutions can pose a serious challenge to democratic norms. Malta runs less of a risk in electoral terms since there is no serious and organised challenge to the two main- stream parties from either side of the political spec- trum. However, the ballgame may differ slightly in next year's European Parliament election, where historically, far-right candidate Norman Lowell has performed rela- tively well albeit falling far short of ever getting elected. But Maltese voters are also showing disquiet by stamping their feet and opting not to vote, a phenom- enon witnessed in the last general election and which polls suggest is likely to grow in the months to come. The disgruntlement cannot be reduced exclusively to EU regulations – inflation is a major factor and this has been a global phenomenon for the past 18 months at least. But the new taxes that will be levied on shippers will only make it worse. Before using the stick to condition behaviour, the EU should have focussed on supporting investment in innovation to enable the green transition to happen much quicker. In this way, cheaper and greener alterna- tives would be available before taxes are levied to force people into changing their behaviour. As things stand it is those on the middle to low in- come rungs that will carry the burden. Unless the green transition is accompanied by a sense of social justice it will simply hurt society's weakest and when that hap- pens, mainstream politicians should not be surprised that people push back and seek radical alternatives. But there is also the localised reality of Malta being an island economy on the periphery of the EU. This puts Malta at a natural disadvantage with other mainland EU states that can rely on road and rail transport apart from shipping. The new shipping tax will undoubtedly penalise Mal- ta disproportionately in comparison to other EU mem- ber states and thus it is unfair. Unfortunately, there is little that can be done now but this leader believes that government should assess the impact and based on the outcome, lobby within the EU to extract some form of exemption, at least for imports intended exclusively for the domestic market. The issues concerning the manu- facturing industry are more complex and would require a different strategy. However, on a grander scale, the EU should re-assess its priorities and adopt a funding system that encour- ages public and private investment in innovative green technologies before it wields the stick. It is useless telling people to shift to electric cars when these are still out of reach for many people even when the government grant is taken into consideration. It is useless to tell people to ditch their traditional heating systems and go for heat pumps when their cost is phenomenal. A greater effort must be done to reduce the costs of production of environmentally-friendly products, while supporting citizens in their attempt to access the green market. In its efforts to remove the climate change tumour, the EU must be careful in the process not to kill the pa- tient because it would be futile and counterproductive. Quote of the Week "The Valenzia Inquiry identified systemic failures that failed the victim [Bernice Cassar] and for this, on behalf of the State, I apologise." Prime Minister Robert Abela on the first anniversary of the murder of mother-of-two Bernice Cassar by her estranged husband MaltaToday 10 years ago 1 December 2013 Gender equality only lip service HE claimed his government was to be the "most feminist ever" and yet, eight months into the Labour administration, Joseph Muscat has presided over a drastic under-representation of women in the top government corporations and private companies in which the govern- ment still holds a major controlling interest. In 2012, MaltaToday had revealed how the Nationalist government was opposing the EU's plans to force publicly-listed companies to have 40% of their boards of directors occupied by women. But in 2013, Labour has not even im- proved female representation in the leaders and directors of the government's top corporations, first flagged by this newspa per last year. From a list of top government corpora- tions whose decisions affect each and every Maltese taxpayers' daily life, as well as two publicly listed companies – Bank of Valletta and Malta International Airport – in which the State has a sizeable ownership, women in directors' positions have dipped by a whop- ping 43%. In 2012, MaltaToday found 29% of direc- tors' posts in 20 top corporations were women: under Labour, this occupancy has been halved to 16%. Women disappeared from MIA plc's board, Malta Government Investments, Malita plc and not installed on the new Public Broadcasting Services' editorial board. They were whittled down to just one in the Water Services and Enemalta boards, while the only increase took place on the Gozo Channel board. Bank of Valletta, which would be affected by the EU's gender quotas, saw its nine-man board welcome Ann Fenech after a sharehold- ers' election. Government appoints BOV's chairman. Asked to comment about this dismal state of affairs, civil liberties minister Helena Dalli simply reaffirmed the government's commitment to EU commis- sioner Viviane Reding's proposal to eliminate gender-making positions." ...