Prime Minster Lawrence Gonzi yesterday promised to take the bull by the horns, announcing he would ditch the finance portfolio and assume instead the responsibility of MEPA reform if the Nationalist Party was returned to power in the March 8 general elections.
Speaking during a press conference yesterday at a site in the middle of the Maghtab landfill, Gonzi promised a comprehensive reform of MEPA in order to make it more efficient and transparent.
“We pledge that MEPA will become more efficient according to pre-set targets. We will continue increasing transparency and accountability in MEPA to eliminate totally all suspicions of irregular practices within MEPA, remote as these might be.”
“We must also ensure to reduce inconsistencies in its decisions so that nobody will feel that he or she has been treated differently than other people.
“Above all, we want to bolster enforcement to arrive at serious and effective enforcement once and for all and eliminate once and for all the idea that one can do whatever he likes and gets out of it scot-free,” Gonzi said.
Asked by MaltaToday whether this decision was a vote of no confidence in Minister for Rural Affairs and the Environment George Pullicino, who was responsible for MEPA during the Gonzi administration, Gonzi said: “I absolutely do not agree that it is in some way or another a vote of no confidence in Minister Pullicino.
“To the contrary, it was Pullicino himself who had proposed in a study that he had conducted on MEPA, that MEPA should be put under the responsibility of the Prime Minister, also because this is tied to the concept of sustainable development.
“I have to say that since Minister Pullicino has been responsible for MEPA, he managed an administration which was not easy in order to address the problems that our country has.”
Gonzi also promised that a new Nationalist government would scrap the current car registration tax and replace it with a registration tax which would be based on the “polluter pays” principle.
For instance, a solar-powered car would pay no registration tax, while a vehicle with a higher power rating which consumes more fuel would pay a high registration tax.
Gonzi said the government wanted to reduce the country’s dependency on fossil fuels whose prices were unstable and liable to rise, therefore it wanted to use alternative energy supplies.
He promised that the government will be building a wind farm 20 miles offshore which when completed, would supply 20% of the country’s energy requirements.
At the same time, the PN is promising that it will supply two years’ supply of energy-saving bulbs to all households to replace their current bulbs. The government was estimating that each family would save €100 a year from its power bills as a result of this measure.
Gonzi also promised that a new PN government would increase the incentives that are currently provided to those who invest in a solar energy system.
He said that these measures would be cost €33 million, which will be financed mostly through EU funds, although the government would have to fork out some of the funds from its own coffers.
In addition to this, he promised that a new Nationalist government would proceed with the building of a cable with Sicily which would connect Malta with the EU’s power grid.
Asked whether the Nationalist government would respect the promise that it had made to hunters before the EU accession referendum in March 2003 that Spring hunting would be maintained if Malta joined the Union, Gonzi said: “We stand with what we said during the negotiations, but we will respect the European Court of Justice’s decision on this matter.”
He explained that in 2005, well after Malta’s negotiations with the EU had been concluded, the European Court of Justice took a decision against Finland on Spring hunting that changed the cards on the table.
Gonzi promised that the environment would become the centre of the Nationalist government’s focus if returned to power after the next general elections.
“We will be addressing the country’s environmental deficit in the same manner as we addressed the country’s financial deficit during this administration. This is only possible because we put the country’s finances on a sound footing during this administration,” he said.

czahra@mediatoday.com.mt