Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/985406
NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 23 MAY 2018 4 MATTHEW VELLA THE Australian listed company MGC Pharmaceuticals has an- nounced in a market update on Monday, that it is expecting fi- nal formal agreements from the Malta Medicines Authority to be signed in the coming weeks to kick off its production facility. With final legislation passed by the Maltese Parliament legalising the production of cannabis for medical use in Malta, MGC said it had been allotted 4,000sq.m of land for its subsidiary MXC in Malta. "Malta Enterprise, the govern- ment agency responsible for at- tracting Foreign Investment in Malta has, together with Malta Industrial Parks, identified 4,000sq.m of land for MXC. The planning has commenced for the construction of the MXC medi- cal cannabis production and cultivation facility. Approval to immediately commence con- struction is expected to follow the receipt of MXC's licence and final contracts from the Maltese authorities," MGC said. The company said Malta pro- vided the ideal geographical lo- cation to serve the growing Eu- ropean market, as MXC under this contract will be able to pro- duce all THC and CBD strains of pharmaceutical grade cannabis extract for medicinal purposes "due to a perfect climate with an average yearly temperature of 23 degrees Celcius". The medical cannabis market within the EU is expected to be worth $56bn by 2020 with large growth in areas such a Germany, where the market is currently worth an estimated $17.5bn and observes a lower wholesale price of raw materials (€3.50 per gram). MGC's MXC production fa- cility will produce all THC and CBD strains of pharmaceutical grade cannabis extracts, for me- dicinal purposes. The company is required to comply with all Maltese medicinal cannabis li- cences and permits to operate the facility. Roby Zomer, co-founder and Managing Director of MGC Pharmaceuticals commented: "I am pleased to inform you that the production of cannabis for medical use has now become legal and regulated under Mal- tese legislation and a plot of land within one of the Maltese indus- trial zones has been designated to us for our project. Once the licence by the Malta Medicines Authority is issued we will be able to commence work on the project in Malta." MGC is one of only a handful of companies – and the sole Aus- tralian company – to be awarded a full medical cannabis produc- tion and cultivation contract in Malta, following a competitive tender process. Other companies include Can- ada's Nuuvera and Zenabis, the latter having partnered with a Maltese pharmaceutical retail chain. Australian MGC to sign medical cannabis agreement for 4,000sq.m facility in Malta CEO Roby Zomer (right) inspects MGC's facility in the Czech Republic era.org.mt Environment & Resources Authority Hexagon House, Spencer Hill, Marsa. WASTE CARRIERS, CONSIGNMENT PERMITS AND CONSIGNMENT NOTES E-FORMS TRAINING AND INFO SESSIONS The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) has designed a system whereby applicants can apply for permits through online e-forms. The e-forms system shall be primarily launched for application forms for Waste Carriers, Consignment Permits and Consignment Notes. ERA shall therefore be organising a number of informative and training sessions for all waste carriers, waste management facilities, waste brokers as well as for all those who have applied for a Consignment Permit and a Consignment Note. An explanation on how the system will function will be given during these sessions according to the following schedule: To reserve a place for one of the above training sessions or for further information, you are kindly requested to contact the Environment and Resources Authority by calling on 2292 3500 or by sending an e-mail on administration.era@era.org.mt DATE 2018 TIME VENUE Thursday 31st May 14:00 - 15:30 Ministry for Gozo Hall, Victoria, Gozo Friday 1st June 9:00 – 10:30 11:00 – 12:30 13:00 – 14:30 San Gorg Preca Hall, Catholic Institute, Floriana Saturday 2nd June 9:00 – 10:30 11:00 – 12:30 13:00 – 14:30 San Gorg Preca Hall, Catholic Institute, Floriana CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 He presided over the demerg- er of the Planning Authority from its environment protec- tion remit, and spearheaded controversial rules for devel- opment inside rural areas and high-rise zones. Last year, Buttigieg insisted that the rate of development and construction on the island was sustainable, despite the rise in development permits is- sued by the PA. In an interview with the Mal- ta Business Chamber, he dis- missed the idea that a large in- flux of foreigners was a threat to Malta's product value, and praised the construction of high-rise buildings. Buttigieg joined the PA as an enforcement officer before be- coming a case officer. He was then appointed senior plan- ning officer, assigned to major projects, and worked on the South Malta Sewage Treat- ment Plant, the Flood Relief Project, the Ten-T project, and Smart City among many oth- ers. Buttigieg to move to Lands Law establishing roads agency will render local councils powerless, says PN shadow minister YANNICK PACE THE Nationalist Party's spokes- person for transport and in- frastructure Toni Bezzina told parliament yesterday that the proposed law to establish a new agency to carry out the govern- ment's pledge to invest €700 million on Malta's roads would render local councils powerless and unable to decide what was best for their locality. Speaking during the second reading of the Agency for Infra- structure Malta Bill, Bezzina ac- cused the government of failing to carry out a proper consulta- tion, insisting that local councils had not been informed how the agency would be operating. He said that while he agreed with having an agency to com- pliment the work of local coun- cils, he did not believe local councils should lose their power to decide on what work needed to be done. Bezzina insisted that the min- ister needed to immediately in- form local councils of the agen- cy's plans to start carrying out roadworks and how they would be coordinated, as not doing so could ultimately result in more problems being created. The law, he said, would nega- tively impact local councils as they are today and would strip them of all power. He hit out at the government for making it seem as though it was "reinventing the wheel" or as though past Nationalist ad- ministration had not invested in the country's infrastructure. On the separation of the roles of operator and the regulator, Bezzina said that despite the Transport minister's Ian Borg assertion that the new agency would relieve Transport Malta of its role of operator, the bill's wording showed that this was not the case. "The agency will be both a regulator and a contractor," he said, adding that this situation could also lead to potential con- flicts of interest. He asked whether the agency would be obliged to obtain the necessary permits as local coun- cils currently do. The PN MP said he hoped the agency would limit the number of works commissioned through direct orders. "We are talking about €700 million coming from our taxes." Bezzina went on to say that the law would not allow local councils a say in which roads were prioritised, instead leaving the final decision in the govern- ment's hands. He said this could bring about a situation where the government might refused- to carry out work on a road but would then let local councils deal with the consequences.