“We will have to wait till the 1st January 2024 to start understanding the real effects that the EU’s European Emissions Trading System Directive is going to have on our economy, and it is a pity that once again, we have had no time and no influence on the decision making process,” says the Logistics Section within Malta Chamber.
While transport remains one of the heaviest regulated sectors within the EU, health and safety, maritime and recently environmental issues are all effecting our connectivity, competitiveness and supply chains.
“Businesses are already struggling to keep abreast with the regulatory changes and new legislation as they become law in the EU and we only grasp the reality of new situations and their potential negative effects on our economy when it is too late.”
“In recent years we already missed the boat with the mobility package and have had to resort to the EU law courts where rightly, common sense partly prevailed. Whenever we were in time, we managed to adapt directives in line with Malta’s particular needs – the combined Transport Directive being the most recent.”
“We are an island totally dependent on sea and therefore considered to be major polluters and rightly, we must pay for this. But this time, we could have negotiated a better deal on this ETS Directive given that we are an island state, and given that over 80% of our products, including food has to be imported,” said the Logistics Section.
Costs differ between goods arriving by sea containers and the higher cost of road trailers arriving at Valletta port by ro-ro vessels where charges on empty legs must also be considered.
“One must also consider the risk and possible loss on vessels deciding not to call to Malta but choose North African transhipment ports to EU Mediterranean ones including the Freeport Terminal. The risk here is in the increased transit time to arrive in Malta at the importers or manufacturers. Malta through the connectivity at the freeport has benefitted in several sectors including the pharma and others that rely on this fast transit through Malta. This has developed in a modal shift of goods arriving from non-EU ports and re-exported by road into Europe thus helping export volumes out of Malta. All this is now at risk.”
“From recent press, it seems that the political side and local industry are now more aware of the implications that may hit in the coming months, albeit a bit too late. So it is important that our MEP’s and politicians in Brussels push our concerns.”
The Chamber and its Logistics Section have joined forces with other stakeholders to press forward its concerns and have been voicing their proposals for a Cargo Directory at Transport Malta to cater for EU and other regulations of all modes of transport that directly affect the country.
“Let’s hope we are in time to have any effect.”
READ THE SIXTH EDITION OF THE CORPORATE TIMES:
