Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1514242
2 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 10 JANUARY 2024 2 KARL AZZOPARDI kazzopardi@mediatoday.com.mt Maritime lobby wants 'political bickering' to stop over new EU shipping rules THE Malta Maratime Forum has called on Government and Opposition to stop their "polit- ical bickering" and unite for a way forward on the introduction of the EU Directive on the Emis- sion Trading Scheme (ETS). "The MMF appeals for the country to continue to pull re- sources in the same direction and continue to make the nec- essary representations to the European authorities with a united front without politicising this matter as unfortunately, has been the case in recent days with mud-slinging exchanges made in the public domain," its state- ment read. The EU ETS is an essential part of the EU's policy to combat cli- mate change. The EU ETS is a "cap and trade" scheme where a limit (the cap) is placed on the right to emit specified pollutants over a geographic area and com- panies can trade emission rights within that area. "We sincerely appeal to the po- litical forces to spend our limited resources and energies on strat- egies that will contribute to de- sired solutions," the MMF said. It said these regulations will go down in the history of the European Union as the "fastest tracked regulations as if there was an agenda to expedite the necessary discussion and ap- proval", giving member coun- tries limited time to examine and understand the full implica- tions resulting therefrom. The MMF said the pollut- er pays principle on which the regulations were based was not working, and the burden would end up being placed on the gen- eral public. "As the implementation date drew closer, the reality of the im- plications became apparent and no one can blame the shipping lines for working out contingen- cy plans to avoid paying billions of euro by traversing the Medi- terranean but avoiding calls at EU ports. This is where we stand at the moment," it said. "They will not reduce carbon emissions from Shipping within EU waters because not only will the ships keep plying through EU waters, but by shifting tran- shipment activity to non-EU ports, all cargo destined for EU destinations would have to travel longer distances, hence increas- ing carbon emissions," the MMF said. "These regulations will not lead to economic growth within EU member states because the transhipment business consoli- dated over the past 40 years by European ports (including Malta Freeport) is now being offered on a silver platter to non-EU ports." It said the aim of increasing growth and jobs will also not be achieved because if the tran- shipment traffic is handled in non-EU ports, there will be loss of jobs from the myriad of port service providers within EU transhipment hub. "With this state of affairs there is definitely no scope or time for petty political bickering but there is the urgent need for a national effort to ensure that all risks associated with the poor implementation of these Regu- lations do not damage the Mal- tese economy," the statement concluded. "We appreciate the daunting political task that Gov- ernment faces but the country must do whatever it takes to ensure that the direct maritime connections which Malta de- pends upon and from which we have benefitted for many dec- ades continue to remain in place for the benefit of our nation and its people." Malta Maratime Forum calls on Government and Opposition to stop their political bickering and unite for a way forward on the introduction of the EU Directive on the Emission Trading Scheme Correctional facility files appeal against Court judgment ordering prisons to allow press access THE Director and the CEO of the Corradino Correctional Facility have appealed against a court judge- ment which ordered the prison au- thorities to allow journalist Manuel Delia access to the prison and other detention facilities. Delia had filed constitutional proceedings in September 2020, after eight formal requests that he had filed, for access to the prison and detention centres to investi- gate and report on claims of illegal behaviour, torture and inhuman and degrading treatment of pris- oners and detainees, were refused. Mr. Justice Toni Abela had up- held the complaint in December 2023, remarking that the days of "je suis le roi, je suis la loi" ['I am the king, I am the law'] were over. But court records show that the CCF's Director and the CEO had filed an appeal shortly after that judgement was given. In a blog post published yester- day, Delia reported that the press was still being denied access to the prisons, now on the grounds that an appeal had been filed. He de- scribed the action as "the behav- iour of tyrants who want to hide their human rights abuses behind walls of secrecy."