The EC forks out €10 million for clean air in EU islands

The European Commission has informed Maltese MEP Alfred Sant and Croatian MEP Tonino Picula that it will fork out €10 million to enforce the project ‘Strengthening cooperation on climate action among EU islands’ after it had already approved €2 million for the same project. Dr Sant, former Prime Minister and Mr Picula, former Foreign Affairs Ministers of Croatia have been working for the past months on the implementation of a project for clean energy for EU island states. Mr Picula represents various Croatian islands while Dr Sant has been actively asking the European Commission to provide funds for clean energy in EU islands, including Malta and Gozo.
The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy Christopher Jones, responsible for External policy and development of financial instruments told Dr Sant and Mr Picula that the Commission had agreed with their proposals.
“Our principle aim here is Growth. We want to have liveable islands.” Mr Jones told the Maltese and Croatian MEPs.
Mr Jones said that the Commission will start with identifying 20 islands as case-studies. The Secretariat’s scope will be to work with the different individual islands while creating a network. It will also aim to be somewhere between knowledge sharing and assistance.
Mr Picula said that he is in favour of accessible energy for small islands.
“We want to secure life on islands. We therefore aim at tackling limitations, especially for small islands. We want to have accessible energy.” said the Croatian MEP.
Dr Sant described the Commission’s feedback to their proposal as ‘positive’. “The Commission must support our concerns to make up for the effects of insularity which citizens experience in EU islands,” remarked the Maltese MEP.

Maltese Version – IL-KE TILQA’ PROPOSTA TA’ ALFRED SANT GĦAL ARJA AKTAR NADIFA FIL-GŻEJJER TAL-UE

Il-Kummissjoni Ewropea informat lill-Ewroparlamentari Malti Alfred Sant u l-Ewroparlamentari Kroat Tonino Picula li laqgħet il-proposta tagħhom u se tinvesti €10 miljuni favur il-proġett ‘Insaħħu l-kooperazzjoni fil-qasam tal-klima fil-gżejjer tal-UE’. Il-KE kienet diġa` approvat €2 miljuni għall-istess proġett. Dr Sant, ex-Prim Ministru u s-Sur Picula, ex-Ministru tal-Affarijiet Barranin tal-Kroazja, fl-aħħar xhur ħadmu fuq l-implimentazzjoni tal-proġett għal arja aktar nadifa fil-gżejjer tal-Unjoni Ewropea. Picula jirrappreżenta gżejjer Kroati filwaqt li Dr Sant talab lil Kummissjoni Ewropea tipprovdi fondi għal ħolqien ta’ enerġija nadifa fil-gżejjer tal-UE, inklużi f’Malta u Għawdex.
Id-Direttur Ġenerali tal-KE għall-Enerġija Christopher Jones, responsabbli għall-politika esterna u l-iżvilupp ta’ għodod finanzjarji qal lil Dr Sant u lis-Sur Picula li l-Kummissjoni qablet mal-proposti tagħhom.
“L-għan ewlieni tagħna huwa t-tkabbir. Aħna rridu gżejjer abitabbli” qal is-Sur Jones lil Ewroparlamentari Malti u Kroat.
Jones qal li l-Kummissjoni se tidentifika 20 gżira bħala ‘case-study’. L-iskop tas-segretarjat huwa li jaħdem ma’ gżejjer individwali differenti waqt li tinħoloq network. Is-segretarjat qed jimmira wkoll għall-ħolqien tat-tixrid ta’ informazzjoni u assistenza.
Is-Sur Picula qal li hu favur l-aċċessibilita` għall-enerġija fi gżejjer żgħar.
“Irridu niżguraw l-għixien fuq il-gżejjer. Irridu għalhekk nidentifikaw il-limitazzjonijiet, speċjalment tal-gżejjer żgħar u jkollna aċċessibilita` għall-enerġija nadifa.”
Dr Sant iddeskriva r-risposta tal-Kummissjoni bħala “pożittiva”.
“Importanti li l-KE tagħraf li ċ-ċittadini li jgħixu fuq gżejjer ibatu minn problemi ta’ insularita` doppja u allura għandhom bżonn lill-Kummissjoni tilleġiżla u tapprova proġetti favur dawn il-gżejjer,” qal Dr Sant.