Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/589122
maltatoday, Wednesday, 21 OctOber 2015 17 Events Gozitan students' aspirations to be unveiled during conference The results of a unique survey amongst Gozitan university stu- dents on Gozitan students' aspi- rations in europe will be one of the main items discussed during the 'Gozitans' Aspirations in eu- rope' conference to be held on Friday 23 October at Ta' Ċenċ hotel, Sannat. The survey also includes Gozi- tan University students' opin- ions on sea connections between Gozo and Malta, the proposed tunnel between the two islands, the creation of new jobs in Gozo, full time university courses in Gozo, the setting up of a Re- gional Council for Gozo and the awareness of opportunities with- in the european Union. The sur- vey has been conducted by the Gozo University Group (GUG) in collaboration with PriceWa- terhouse Malta (PwC). The conference is also expect- ed to discuss a paper prepared by the Gozo Business Chamber on permanent long term residen- tial tourism in Gozo while John Magro, a distinguished Gozitan enterpreneur will deliver a key note speech on Gozo's vision for the future. Dr. Alfred Sant, MeP, whose Office is organising the Conference together with the S&D Group, will attend the Conference. Different sectors of Gozo's civil society are participating in this conference. The conference will serve as a platform for represent- atives of student organisations, youth organisations, voluntary organisations, the tourism and industrial sectors in Gozo to express their opinions and con- cerns on today's new socio-eco- nomic realities in Gozo and their aspirations for the future - more than a decade after Malta's entry into the european Union. No pre-booking is needed. How- ever, those who need further in- formation can contact Dr. Sant's Office on email address info@ alfredsant.eu or phone number 21490705. A reception will follow the conference Birdlife Malta seriously concerned with bird trapping seasons In a statement issued today in re- action to government's publica- tion of two legal notices opening a trapping season for finches and another for golden plover and song thrush, Birdlife Malta said it is very disappointed at the Government's decision and insistence of opening another trapping season when the european Court of Justice will soon be deliberating over Malta's defi- ance. BLM has called on environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella to take immediate action to safeguard migrating wild birds. BLM said the Government's de- fiance is an indication of the lack of appreciation in protecting mi- grating birds, and of its political commitment to respect the treaty signed by Malta when it became an eU member state, a treaty that ex- plicitly banned bird trapping after 2008. "Our main concern is that many wild birds are going to be caught and taken from nature for no jus- tifiable reason other than a recrea- tional need. This is a considerable impact on wildlife and that is the reason why bird trapping is illegal under such directives. "We hereby call on the Govern- ment not to open the trapping season to safeguard and protect migrating birds. In view that Malta would now be taken to the european Court of Justice, we hope the gov- ernment would retract from open- ing the season till the eCJ ruling is announced," said BLM Conserva- tion Manager nicholas Barbara. BirdLife Malta concluded that the eU Commissioner for environment Commissioner, Karmenu Vella, has no option but to initiate inter- im measures against the Maltese Government, in order to prevent the indiscriminate and unjustified catching of thousands of birds over the coming three months and safe- guard their protection. Last year over 8,000 trapping sites were activated allowing the catch of over 33,000 birds through two derogations. Conditions published in legal notices yesterday indicate similar conditions are being ap- plied. EU committee approves Mizzi's asylum seeker report The european Parlia- ment's Petitions Com- mittee have approved a report by Labour MeP Marlene Mizzi outlin- ing the need for a holis- tic eU approach to the Mediterranean's refugee crisis. The Socialists and Democrats political group in April appointed Mizzi as their rappor- teur to prepare a report on the Mediterranean's migration problem. The report aims to feed into a european Parliament strategic report on mi- gration and to provide concrete recommenda- tions to both the euro- pean Commission and member states. Mizzi's report – which was approved with 23 votes in favour, three abstentions and no re- jections – looks into pe- titions submitted by eU citizens to the european Parliament on a wide range of is- sues relating to the crisis in the Mediterranean. In a statement, Mizzi said that her report calls on the eC and member states to act in a swift and determined man- ner to improve the situation. It also highlights the major imbalances that exist in the eU migration policy and the pres- sures that puts on countries such as Malta and Italy facing an increased inf lux of migrants, the ineffectiveness of the Dublin regulation, the lack of a compre- hensive eU migration policy and the failure to apply the principle of solidarity. "It is indeed very satisfying to see the positive result that we got on this opinion especially when one considers the difficulty to reach an agreement among the different Member States and dif- ferent political groups on this particular issue," Mizzi said af- ter the vote. "The fact that there was an overwhelming majority and no votes against shows the willingness of the PeTI Commit- tee to respond to the migration crisis and establish an effective, humanitarian and safe european migration policy. "Immigration is eU citizens' fastest-growing concern, accord- ing to the latest eurobarometer poll. With this opinion, we have ensured that citizens' concerns on migration are finally being heard. "I have proposed various short- term and medium-term meas- ures in response to the crisis, but what is also very important is that the report acknowledges the key role the Valletta summit has in providing international framework agreement to tackle the root causes of migration and in opening a dialogue with third countries to insure international solidarity and cooperation not only among eU members states but also worldwide. "Last but not least, I have rec- ommended the creation of a centralised eU migration data management mechanism, which would better analyse information on migration f lows and patterns in sea crossing and thus help us strengthen consistent planning and crisis management, so that we can activate early warning systems at eU level." MCA handled 142 complaints, 279 enquiries during the first six months of 2015 The Malta Communications Authority (MCA) has published its report on the complaints re- ceived during the first six months of 2015. In total, the MCA received 142 complaints out of which, 91% were closed within 20 working days. The Authority also received 279 requests for information. A number of these claims related to practices adopted by service providers over which the MCA has no legal power to intervene. In such cases, the Authority referred complainants to the competent Authorities. The most common complaints received during this period related to faults and quality of service, in particular, faults to the provision of fixed telephony and TV serv- ices. Faults are generally caused by degradation, misuse, force majeure or third party disturbance. Faults could also be the result of damages to the service provider's infrastruc- ture, damages to the subscriber's internal wiring or damages to the physical equipment. In the cases reported to the Au- thority, the MCA monitored the actions undertaken by the service provider to ensure that faults were repaired in the shortest time possi- ble. In those cases where the fault originated from the service pro- vider's infrastructure, subscrib- ers were offered compensation or refunds, as stated in their service contract. Another source of complaint during the first half of 2015, re- lated to termination of service and switching. While complaints of this nature decreased when com- pared to the previous quarters, it still was one of the most common issues encountered by subscribers. In some cases, the Authority had to follow up the matter with the concerned service provider until it ensured that the services where effectively terminated in line with the subscriber's request. In some other cases, the Author- ity provided guidance to subscrib- ers contacting it about the pro- cedure they needed to follow to terminate the service/s. The MCA also received complaints related to the porting of telephony services. In such cases, the MCA contacted the service providers concerned to ensure that such numbers are ported successfully without undue delay. Billing also proved to be another point of contention during this period. In cases where subscrib- ers were found to be incorrectly billed, the Authority followed the matter with the concerned service provider until such charges were waived. While the MCA noticed a de- crease in complaints of this nature when compared to the previous quarters, the MCA will still con- tinue monitoring this matter as this remains one of the most re- curring complaints received by the MCA. The MCA also assisted those subscribers who required information regarding their bill by ensuring that the operator provid- ed the necessary clarifications. Complaints of a postal nature received by the MCA continued to decrease during the first half of 2015 with only two complaints received. The MCA brought these cases to the attention of MaltaPost so that it could look into the mat- ter and address any ensuing issues accordingly. no complaints re- garding eCommerce services were registered during this period. The MCA encourages those end- users who encounter any difficul- ties with respect to services regu- lated by the MCA in the event that their complaint with their service provider has not been addressed to their satisfaction. The public can contact the MCA on 21336840 or by email on customercare@mca. org.mt. The full report can be accessed by visiting tinyurl.com/nag7b42 Marlene Mizzi