Shadow tourism minister Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca yesterday expressed “disgust” at what she called “irresponsible and insolent behaviour” over licences for the company Garden of Eden Garage to conduct open-top double-decker sight-seeing routes.
The Labour MP accused the transport regulator of manipulating the transport market in a bid to close it off to prospective competitors.
“It wasn’t enough for the transport authority (ADT) to challenge the decision of the Commission for Fair Trade… the ADT is bullying anyone who is protesting the right to compete in the market,” Coleiro Preca said.
The Garden of Eden Garage Ltd. operates an open-top sightseeing service for tourists across the Maltese islands.
Labour’s tourism spokesperson said that the Commission for Fair Trade had already pronounced itself that the ADT cannot close this market to other competitors. EU law itself, the Commission had ruled, prohibits regulators from determining who can and who cannot take part in the internal market.
“Clearly, we are seeing here a case of the regulator taking strategic decisions, as if it were itself competing on the market.”
In a reply yesterday evening, the Ministry for Infrastructure, Transport and Communications said the ADT processed transport licences according to the law “and not according to the friendships of the Labour party.”
The MITC said the Commission for Fair Trade’s decision concerned three double-decker buses owned by the Garden of Eden, which were licensed to operate on Maltese roads.
But it added that no part of this decision was not implemented. The MITC said the ADT was still contesting the Commission’s jurisdiction on the authority in court.
“Contrary to what the PL is saying, the ADT is not trying to close the market. The market is wide open for whoever is interested and satisfies the legal criteria necessary… the ADT is applying the same law to everybody. Garden of Eden should not expect to have any special privilege.”
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