Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1537666
ONE TEAM YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT FOR SUCCESS TO HAPPEN. WE HELP YOU BUILD IT. Not a franchise JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT SUNDAY 20 JULY 2025 • ISSUE 1341 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY Saving farmland maltatoday Kitchen Garden Shut for maintenance, President's Kitchen Garden has no date yet for reopening PAGE 4 Sanctions history Build first, permit later: A political history of sanctioning €2.20 PAGE 3 Zurri Zurrieq council eq council unites to save unites to save agricultural land in agricultural land in Tal-Bebbux area Tal-Bebbux area Malta needs exit strategy from fuel subsidies PAGE 11 Nicole Meilak and Karl Azzopardi: What they learnt from talking to Alex Borg and Adrian Delia See pages 6-7 Alex Borg and Adrian Delia interviewed MT2 CENTRAL BANK WARNS: MALTA'S fixed-price energy subsidies have shielded house- holds and businesses from the energy crisis but a Central Bank study now calls for a phased exit strategy. Phasing out the subsidies is es- sential to avoid long-term fiscal, environmental, and structural costs, Noel Rapa, head of the bank's Economic Research and Modelling Department argues in a discussion paper. Fuel and energy subsidies worth millions of euros per year were introduced in the wake of the energy crisis sparked by Rus- sia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Government has promised to retain the indiscriminate subsidy policy for the foreseeable future. Malta's electricity prices have remained unchanged since 2014 and the pump price of petrol and diesel has remained static since 2020. CONTINUES PAGE 2 Malta's electricity prices have remained unchanged since 2014 HIV cases have soared and there's no time to waste THERE are 754 people living with HIV in Malta, a 65% increase over five years that has sexual health ad- vocates concerned and frustrated. With HIV Zero Stigma Day being celebrated tomorrow, activists are reiterating their appeal for preventive and emergency HIV treatments to be added to the national formulary list. Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) were promised as part of the new National Sexual Health Strategy unveiled at the end of last year. The Health Ministry now says PrEP and PEP are included in the next procurement process, which is underway. But for HIV sufferers and activists there is little time to waste as Malta faces a surge in cases. MaltaToday spoke with Thomas, a person diagnosed with HIV 13 years ago, and activists to understand what it is like living with HIV in Malta, to- day. SEE PAGES 8 AND 9