Labour, elderly and farmers

If it is still necessary to prove the shallowness of the Malta Labour Party (MLP) one only needs to observe the way it is pronouncing itself on an issue as important and as sensitive as climate change. Leo Brincat yesterday issued another press statement, the latest in a spate of such releases, where he again called for commitment but stopped short of committing himself (or his party) to the kind of measures needed to reduce our carbon footprint.

The workings of the committee appointed by the government to submit recommendations for a national strategy to reduce greenhouse gases and to generate clean energy are now in full swing. This same committee, in fact, recently met with Mr Brincat to hear his views about the concrete measures that need to be implemented. Mr Brincat's viewpoint in this regard was that there is need for government legislation to ensure that the finalised strategy will be implemented. What a ground-breaking observation, Mr Brincat! Thanks a lot! And before that? Have you come up with any ideas about what measures this strategy should recommend?

In his statement, Mr Brincat repeated the hackneyed phrase of needing to move on from the formulation of plans and strategies to accountability and transparency in these sectors. Surely, it is blatantly obvious that there is consensus that once a national strategy is in place we will need to identify how the measures encapsulated in the strategy are implemented and how accountability can be guaranteed. But, first and foremost, there is an urgent need for everyone, and that includes Mr Brincat, to contribute towards the drawing up of this strategy!

I will resist the temptation here of poking fun at Mr Brincat because he did it so beautifully on his own. Only a few weeks ago, he publicly called for the setting up of a committee of experts in the field when this same committee had been set up weeks before!

Ultimately, yesterday's press statement affirmed that Labour's overriding intention remains one and one alone: Labour intends to sit on the fence and avoid submitting any concrete proposals on measures that should be adopted in order to arrive at our targets. This in a thinly-veiled attempt to run with the hares and hunt with the hounds!

September 26: Keeping solitude at bay

Last night, I participated in a liturgical celebration, led by Archbishop Paul Cremona, where Fr Joe Caruana OFM was installed as the new parish priest of Sacro Cuor parish church in Sliema.

It was heartening to listen to the new parish priest underlining the need for the local community to help elderly parishioners overcome solitude.

Over drinks served at the Sliema band club, after the church service, I shared with Fr Joe my ardent wish for the setting up of a voluntary social programme where young persons or families would "adopt" an elderly person.

That is overseeing the general welfare of an elderly person living in the community. This programme would serve to consolidate the government's initiatives in this sector, which, although well-meaning, have their limitations. In this way, we can stave off one of the most insurmountable problems for many elderly persons living in our communities - loneliness.

September 23: The long and winding road

I have just returned from Annecy, a French town in the shadows of the Alps, where I participated in the Informal Meeting of European Ministers of Agriculture.

These informal meetings also serve to provide a platform for the hosting presidency to give member countries an insight into its agricultural realities.

The French Agriculture Minister, Michel Barnier (formerly the EU Commissioner for Regional Policy), organised an intensive programme to share the experiences of farmers and herdsmen in the mountainous area of Savoia.

This programme even had us trekking in the mountains! To be completely honest, the walk was not for the faint-hearted and, at one point, I was about to throw in the towel! But I willed myself to continue and made it!

Although these meetings are called informal ones, there is also a formal element in the programme.

The future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) after 2013 was the subject of discussion in Annecy. In my intervention, I stressed the fact that the EU needs to retain its aid programme for disadvantaged regions, such as mountainous areas or agricultural land like ours, where our farmers have to contend with water shortages and small land parcels.

I also highlighted the numerous challenges faced by our herdsmen. For example, because nearly all our animal feed is imported, herdsmen automatically incur additional expenses, including steep transport costs.

All my European counterparts were given an opportunity to express their opinions on the CAP post-2013 - and some diametrically-opposed viewpoints were not lacking either! There is still ample time left for discussion - what is important is that the process has started.

Mr Pullicino is Minister for Resources and Rural Affairs.

http://georgepullicino.blogspot.com