Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1533045
4 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 7 MARCH 2025 INTERVIEW Why did you feel the need to organise this conference? Like all candidates for the European Par- liament election, I campaigned extensively across Malta and Gozo and now that I have been elected to the European Parliament, I am following up on my campaign com- mitments. I was elected based on my pro- gramme, and I am very motivated to deliver that programme now that I am in the Euro- pean Parliament. And now I am in position to do just that and I have the resources of the European Commission and the Euro- pean Parliament at my disposal. Before the election, I said that Gozitans are concerned about connectivity between Gozo and Mal- ta. Basically at nearly every door I knocked during the campaign, the Gozo ferry was the top concern raised. I can mention a so- cial worker who would like to go to Malta every day but says the ferry service is not dependable. Or a student who would like to visit his family in Gozo more often but is held back because of inefficiences in the ferry service. And what of the businesses who need goods ferried to Malta but end up paying more because of delays in the service, thus affecting their competitivity? Don't get me wrong, some delay and dis- ruption is to be expected, having an island linked to another island. But we can tackle inefficiency surely. The crux of the confer- ence is this: all over Europe, and beyond, we are seeing huge investment in green marine mobility, with the use of hydrogen, electric- ity and LPG. Sicily, for example, is investing in new ferries to link to Pantelleria and Lin- osa, which only have a population of around 7,000. Spain, Greece, Estonia, Denmark, these are all investing in new ferry vessels. And these projects are all financed by the EU, funded through the heavy fines under its strict ship-source pollution regulations. And yet, while other countries make full use of these available funds, Malta is lacking 10 years behind. So, because of this funding, these projects are feasible even for an island with a population of 7,000 people. So surely Gozo could benefit? Yes absolutely. Every island, irrespective of size, needs solid, reliable connectivity services. And this what Gozitans expect and need. So, in this conference, we are bringing together many stakeholders, in- cluding the Gozo Business Chamber, the Gozo Tourism Association, representa- tives of the European Commission, private businesses and service providers, as well as policy makers and decision makers. One of our guests will be Prof. Godfrey Bal- dacchino, a renowned marine expert who will highligh the sociological and cultural impact of connectivity on an island. The aim is to emphasise that as things stand, Malta is currently wasting time and losing ground. This message transcends partisan politics. The top priority for Gozitans is connectivity. And yet at the moment, we are paying for the use of the Nikolaos ferry, which for all intents and purposes has been declared as solely fit for scrap and is not even allowed to navigate in its home wa- ters in Greece. And while we pay Greece to use this ferry, Greece itself is using EU funds and investing heavily in new vessels. Gozo Channel announced some months ago that it will be issuing a call for tenders for a fourth ferry. Have you approached the company to maybe explain exactly what EU funds are available? We invited Gozo Channel to partici- pate in next week's conference. I know they are aware of what funds are availa- ble and had even even applied for funds under a Horizon project, which was not accepted by the EU. So I know that the Gozo Channel is interested, but I am afraid there does not seem to be enough political goodwill to move ahead on this issue. In the company's call for expres- sions of interest, there is no reference to making use of EU funds and all the oth- er resources the EU offers. In a report on connectivity I published last year, I identified five different funding options available at an EU level, and none of these has been tapped thus far. PN MEP to highlight solutions to Gozo's connectivity issues in stakeholder conference Nationalist MEP Peter Agius made Gozo's connectivity issues a top priority of his election campaign. Now he says he wants to deliver on his campaign promises and is organising a conference next week to bring stakeholders together to highlight funding options available at an EU level Peter Agius