I took pleasure in reading Simon Busuttil's recent contribution in The Times (Who Cares About Gozo) because I realised that more people are becoming more sensible about Gozo's particular situation and its special needs than ever before. There were times when even in Parliament claims concerning Gozo's affairs were ignored, ridiculed and labelled as pretentious. It was in 1987 by the nomination of the first Minister for Gozo under Nationalist rule led by Eddie Fenech Adami that political attitudes towards Gozo started to change rapidly and radically.
The year 1987 was a turning point for Gozo: Levelling of disparities between the two islands, modernising the island's infrastructure, making Gozo as accessible as possible, attracting new investment that created new job opportunities for those wishing to work in Gozo and providing higher standards of education. Finally, but not least, pushing Gozo in attaining the same levels of national standards.
That was the political objective of the first Gozo Ministry. It is the political creed of Gozitans which has survived to this very day and now each of the political parties is trying to make that objective its own.
Coming to the argument in question as raised in Dr Busuttil's article, I wish to point out clearly that I have no quarrels with the EU funds to Gozo. Why should there be? It is the amounts and their allocation arrived at, that one can argue with. It is true that Gozo never had it so good financially speaking. But it is also true and widely acknowledged that Gozo had never gone through remarkable changes in all sectors as it did with lesser funds during the PN's two legislatures, that is 1987-1992 and 1992-1996.
Dr Busuttil is "not privy to whether any study (on Gozo's particular situation and its special needs) has been requested" but he presumes "that it could have been requested in line with the declaration". As an MEP who is "honoured to have been entrusted with the vote of thousands of Gozitans in the last European Parliament elections..." we expect of Dr Busuttil not to presume but to ascertain that all commitments towards Gozo are adhered to according to the government's declaration which had influenced to a large degree our vote for membership.
I have my big doubts on his assertion about Gozo's GDP average. Not only because he failed to quote from any source of origin, but because of real facts developing in Gozo. Quoting from the National Strategic Reference Framework Malta 2007-2013 in the five-year period 1999-2003, Gozo's GDP dropped from 73.2 per cent to 69.3 per cent of the national GDP. It was a drop of four per cent which is considered substantial. Is it possible that in the following two years - 2004/2005 - the economy of Gozo prospered so much as to register a 15 per cent increase in Gozo's GDP! I wish it did!
Strategic indicators such as the labour market, unfortunately for all, point in the opposite direction. In fact, in 2004 unemployment in Gozo had risen from 618 in 2003 to 710, a percentage increase of 13 per cent. This negative trend was reflected in various localities in Gozo. So much so that while in 2003 only eight localities had an unemployment rate of more than two per cent, in 2004 there were 11 localities that passed that rate mark. In 2006 the unemployment figure was even bigger than that of the previous year. It was 724 (PQ No. 22993).
It is logical that this negative trend which was even consistent in the following months is a result of a lagging economy, at least as far as the end of 2006. This is not to say that the government is ignoring Gozo's needs. But on the other hand one cannot say that enough has been done to stimulate the island's economy and to attract new investments that can create new jobs for the Gozitans in Gozo, even if new local and foreign investments have been coming into Malta in abundance.
In this context one can rightly argue about the priorities listed to benefit from EU funds for Gozo including both before and after accession. It may be said that the use of the EU funds allocated to Gozo started only this year and therefore it is too early to judge results. Yes, it is true, but this reality can be argued also in Malta's case where the desired results are being successfully and consistently obtained almost in every sector of the economy which is getting stronger by the day. The truth is that disparities between Gozo and Malta in various sectors are getting wider, not narrower, with Gozo having to bear the brunt.
Before closing my article I would like Dr Busuttil to do a big favour to Gozo. That is to insist on the government living up to another one of its obligations, namely to ascertain that all statistics, without any exception, regarding Gozo are collected and issued separately. To date the situation regarding this matter is unsatisfactory. For instance, separate statistics concerning Gozo are totally absent even from the government's recently published pre-budget Document 2008 Families Growing Stronger.
Due to the lack of such statistics would it be possible for the Commission "to propose appropriate measures, as required, in the framework of the Community regional policy or other relevant Community policies" that ensure the reduction of disparities between Gozo and Malta? And without "the reduction of disparities" between the two islands how can Gozo be integrated into the internal market?