If an airstrip is to be constructed in Gozo (editorial, February 16) to which I do not object, this must ultimately form part of a holistic approach aiming to give a boost to the ailing Gozitan economy.

This approach is long due as the facts illustrate the incompetence of the present administration. The PN in government is guilty of failing to file the report with which the European Commission should have considered the adversities afflicting the Gozitan economy, due to its double insularity; a report which should have been handed to the Commission before the adoption of the last EU budget. The same administration failed to obtain a privileged status for Gozo so as to be entitled to receive supplementary aid under the EU's regional policy. Our island is treated separately from Malta, solely for statistical purposes.

In some countries, islands benefit from special tax regimes, such as lower VAT (Madeira, the Azores, various Greek islands and, for certain products, Corsica) and social contributions (Corsica), reduced excise rates on fuel (Azores), tariff exemptions for imports of a number of products (the Canaries) and other derogatory measures (allowing for instance the island authorities to retain a major share of local tax inflows in Sardinia, Madeira, the Azores, the Canaries, the Balearics).

And what about state aid? The failure to obtain a privileged status for Gozo meant that this island will be precluded from the majority of state aid as it contravenes EU law concerning rules relating to state aid.

Gozo's advantages in being small have never been exploited by the current administration. What about experimenting on innovative systems for water and alternative energy conservation and management via pilot projects? What about improving transport links to the mainland, modernisation of ports and greater emphasis on public transport? Instead, the helicopter connection was shelved and the Ċirkewwa terminal is still in a primitive stage. The airstrip is the ultimate pie in the sky.

What about diversifying employment opportunities through the development of the services sector notably, as regards quality tourism, for instance cultural and eco-tourism? Unfortunately we are still lagging way behind other countries. The same can be said about specific support measures, including taxation, to stimulate investment.

The management of an island such as Gozo requires special policies and instruments in order to offset permanent structural handicaps. Unfortunately, the PN's vision has been, to say the least, short-sighted.