The European Commission has launched the project ‘Strengthening cooperation on climate action among EU islands’ with the primary aim of assisting EU islands to develop clean and eco friendly means of energy. The project was proposed by Maltese MEP Alfred Sant, former Prime Minister and Croatian MEP Tonino Picula, former Foreign Affairs Ministers of Croatia who in the past months worked on the implementation of a project for clean energy for EU island states. The European Commission has forked out €10 million to enforce the project after it had already approved €2 million for the same project.
Mr Picula represents various Croatian islands while Dr Sant has been actively asking the EC to provide funds for clean energy in EU islands, including Malta and Gozo.
‘The Secretariat for the Islands Initiative’ is expected to assist EU islands in preparation of decarbonisation plans, and give guidance on their implimentation. It will also organise the Islands Initiative annual fora in 2018 and 2019 to bring together all concerned stakeholders.
Dr Sant said that in Europe there is already a base of island experience that has made good progress in developing and generating locally and cost effectively clean energy. That already offers scope for further expansion and development of clean energy production to most European island systems.
The Maltese MEP Alfred Sant expressed his satisfaction that the EC had supported his concerns to make up for the effects of insularity which citizens experience in EU islands.
The Commission will identifying 20 islands as case-studies working with different individual islands.
Maltese Version – IMNIEDI L-PROĠETT TA’ ARJA NADIFA FIL-GŻEJJER TAL-UE
Il-Kummissjoni Ewropea nediet il-proġett ‘Insaħħu l-kooperazzjoni u nieħdu azzjoni fil-qasam tal-klima fil-gżejjer tal-UE’ biex tassisti l-gżejjer tal-UE joħolqu sorsi ta’ enerġija nadifa u favur l-ambjent. Il-proġett kien propost minn Alfred Sant, MEP u ex-Prim Ministru u MEP Kroat Tonino Picula, ex-Ministru tal-Affarijiet Barranin tal-Kroazja. Sant u Picula fl-aħħar xhur ħadmu fuq l-implimentazzjoni tal-proġett għal arja nadifa fil-gżejjer tal-UE. Il-Kummissjoni Ewropea iffinanzjat €10 miljuni biex issaħħaħ il-proġett wara li kienet diġa` approvat €2 miljuni oħra għall-istess proġett.
Tonino Picula jirrappreżenta għadd ta’ gżejjer Kroati filwaqt li Dr Sant talab kemm-il darba lil KE tipprovdi fondi għal ħolqien ta’ enerġija nadifa fil-gżejjer tal-UE, inkluż Malta u Għawdex.
‘Is-Segretarjat għal Inizjattivi tal-Gżejjer’ mistenni jassisti lil gżejjer tal-UE waqt il-pjanijiet għad-dikarbonizzazzjoni, u se jservi ta’ gwida fl-implimentazzjoni ta’ dawn il-pjanijiet. Se jkun qed jorganizza wkoll il-forum annwali tal-Inizjattivi tal-Gżejjer fl-2018 u 2019 biex ilaqqa’ flimkien lil partijiet interessati.
Dr Sant qal li fl-Ewropa hemm diġa` bażi tajba meħuda mill-esperjenza tal-gżejjer li għamlu progress tajjeb biex jiżviluppaw u jiġġeneraw lokalment arja nadifa bi spiża raġjonevoli. Dan diġa` joħloq ambitu għal aktar espansjoni u żvilupp fil-produzzjoni tal-enerġija nadifa lejn ħafna mis-sistemi tal-gżejjer Ewropej.
Alfred Sant esprima s-sodisfazzjon li l-Kummissjoni Ewropea tat widen lit-tħassib tiegħu u kkumpensat għall-effetti ta’ insularita` li jesperjenzaw iċ-ċittadini tal-gżejjer Ewropej.
Il-Kummissjoni se tidentifika 20 gżira bħala ‘case-studies’ li jaħdmu ma’ gżejjer individwali differenti.
Post a comment