Eco-Gozo project before Cabinet in 'coming days'

The Eco-Gozo document, which includes 2,500 proposals to turn it into an ecological island by 2015, will be discussed by Cabinet in the coming days, inching closer to the realisation of the project.

Following Cabinet approval, the document - an electoral promise and part of the government's Vision 2015 - will be published for a short consultation period, which should lead to the final version that will eventually be implemented, Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono said.

Giving some insight into the document during a radio interview, the minister said the strategy was drafted with short- and long-term aims.

The document is the fruit of consultation with more than 60 experts in various fields, civil society and a partnership with the Isle of Wight in the UK, where a strategy has also been adopted to turn it into an ecological island.

Every proposal was worked on in collaboration with related ministries to create more synergy between the eco-island strategy and the country's policies, Mrs Debono said.

Efforts in the coming months would be based on four pillars: the environment, the economy, culture and identity, which should lead to the "holistic strengthening" of Gozo.

She highlighted that the Eco-Gozo strategy did not mean the freezing of investment and development but a vision for the island based more on sustainability.

Mrs Debono stressed on the need for a balance between progress in economic activity and strengthening Gozo's culture and identity.

But she also said that in drafting a strategy for Gozo, it was essential attention be given to its development and an increase in investment, appealing for the incentives on offer to be made use of.

Mrs Debono listed projects, including the reopening of the slaughterhouse in about five months' time, which were benefitting from the €100 million the government had allocated to the island, and urged investors to take up the offers out there.

Speaking about the island's economy, which was linked to accessibility, Mrs Debono said the Cabinet was awaiting a report on the possibility of building an airstrip.

Friends of the Earth issued a statement commending the government for following up on the long-promised Eco-Gozo plan. However, it said, it could not be comprehensive unless it underwent a strategic environmental assessment.