Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/989894
OPINION 26 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 3 JUNE 2018 EMMA Muscat is a young Maltese singer who took Italian television by storm. Tonight, she'll compete in the semi-final on Canale 5 Amici. Emma is the most followed Maltese singer on social me- dia, her Instagram account is followed and liked by hun- dreds of thousands, at times surpassing the entire popula- tion of the Maltese islands. She's talented and beauti- ful – an accomplished singer and pianist who'll go places. Emma and hundreds of Mal- tese hailing from different sectors – doctors; research- ers; academics; lawyers; businessmen and women are doing Malta proud, locally and abroad. Their success is what brings us together as a nation. Thank you, Emma. Good luck, whatever the outcome tonight, you already made Malta proud. Double standards This week the Euro- pean Parliament debated, once again, the so called 'citizenship-by-investment- scheme', which in simple terms is the sale of the European citizenship to wealthy non-Europeans. The European Parliament had already debated this subject and criticised it vocifer- ously, but was ignored since the scheme was adopted by EU member states including Malta. The Maltese system is not the most lenient, but in the long term it gives noth- ing to the country for no real investment is made by those who buy the Maltese pass- port. In a debate in plenary on Wednesday, MEPs from different political groupings reiterated calls to the Euro- pean Commission to regulate such programmes, with the majority insisting it was no longer acceptable to dismiss the issue as a national one. The Commission, headed by Jean Claude Juncker, prefers to look elsewhere, opening itself to justified accusations of double standards. Cheated consumers Consumers are being over- charged by ARMS because the bill issuing system is being badly implemented. The Nationalist Party inves- tigated 100 bills and found that 80% of clients had been overcharged by between Euro 6 and Euro 600 a year. Clients are receiving their bills more frequently and losing out on their allocation of low-priced units. Instead of taking im- mediate action, and rectifying this situation, government procrastinates and has so far refused to take action. Energy prices have been in the news recently, as latest Eurostat figures report that Malta has had the third highest increase in energy prices in 2017. A social time-bomb Data released this week by the European Union's data bureau, show that 10% of Maltese said they could not keep up with rent, utility pay- ments, mortgage payments as well as payments on hire pur- chase goods. Average rental prices in Malta have risen by some 47% between 2013 and 2016. Soon, property and rental prices will become so high that there is no way how decent wage earners will be able to afford them. The con- struction boom was expected to alleviate rising rent rates, but this is clearly not hap- pening. Fair rent regulation is a must. Housing affordabil- ity in Malta is a social time bomb ticking away, which cannot be ignored further. Italy's political crisis Although Italy's political deadlock has been broken, now that a new Prime Min- ister has been appointed, following inconclusive elec- tions in March, trouble is brewing on the horizon for the future of the EU and the eurozone. Fresh elections are expected to be called soon, with right-wing parties and the 5-Star Movement expected to increase their popular support. They have already questioned Italy's eurozone membership. Paolo Savona, previously touted for economy minister, then rejected by the Italian presi- dent, will be in government as European Affairs minister – a less influential role but one which will still enable him to negotiate with the EU and speak on EU issues – not least the euro about which he had already touched upon by stating that Italy should have a contingency plan to abandon the European cur- rency. Emma, making Malta proud Housing affordability in Malta is a social time bomb Frank Psaila Frank Psaila presents Iswed fuq l-Abjad on Net TV Emma Muscat is a talented Maltese singer and pianist who took Italian television by storm. Thousands of Maltese viewers are glued to Canale 5 Amici, watching her progress, beat stiff competition and making Malta proud