Watch: ‘Gozo Won’t Stop Being An Island In 2040’, Thomas Bajada Pushes For EU Protection

Labour MEP Thomas Bajada is pushing for stronger and potentially permanent protections for Malta and Gozo under the EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS), arguing that the realities faced by islands…

Labour MEP Thomas Bajada is pushing for stronger and potentially permanent protections for Malta and Gozo under the EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS), arguing that the realities faced by islands will not simply disappear in 2040.

 

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Bajada said he led work on a package of amendments to the ETS review in the European Parliament’s Environment Committee, backed and co-signed by fellow Labour MEPs Alex Agius Saliba and Daniel Attard.

One proposal would change how ETS obligations are calculated on certain essential maritime routes, taking into account how much cargo a vessel is actually carrying on each leg of its journey. Bajada pointed to the Genoa-Malta route, arguing that ships can arrive almost full but leave with considerably less cargo because of Malta’s trade imbalance.

He warned that failing to recognise this could see climate-related transport costs passed on to consumers through the price of food and other essential goods.

Bajada is also proposing that existing protections for island connectivity be extended until 2040, while moving towards a criteria-based mechanism that could continue protecting essential island maritime links beyond that date.

“Gozo will not stop being an island in 2040,” Bajada wrote, arguing that Malta will also continue depending on imports of food, medicines and raw materials. He said the geographical realities facing islands are “permanent and structural” and should therefore be recognised in EU rules.

The wider package also seeks improved access to EU decarbonisation funding for smaller countries and projects, support for greener maritime transport, and a pathway for Malta to access ETS funding for the decarbonisation of its power generation and waste management.

Bajada stressed that the amendments are not intended to weaken the ETS, but to make its climate objectives workable for island states facing permanent geographical constraints.

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