The European Commission has ruled in Malta’s favour on a discrimination claim over the new tallinja cards.
The claim was made by a holiday maker and constituent of MEP Daniel Dalton, who subsequently asked a parliamentary question about it last October.
Mr Dalton told the European Parliament that residents of Malta could fill out an application form providing either their Maltese ID card number or international passport details, and after a processing period they would receive a tallinja card allowing them to purchase a €26 monthly pass.
But those unable to register had to pay as much as €2 for a single journey or €21 for a weekly ticket, he complained, a price far higher than that paid by tallinja card holders.
“Does the Commission agree this represents unfair discrimination against non-Maltese residents and an effective breach of the principles of the single market?” he had asked the Commission in his question.
In its reply, the Commission said it did not consider that there was a public transport tariff discrimination against non-Maltese residents in Malta.
It explained that it had received several complaints about the Maltese public transport tariff system in 2014. Citizens claimed, in particular, that access to the personalised smart cards which provided passengers with the most beneficial prices was limited to Maltese residents.
It was possible to obtain a personalised smart card with a non-Maltese identity document
The Commission said that following a pre-infringement procedure launched by the Commission services, the Maltese authorities ensured that the personalised smart card for adults became accessible to anyone irrespective of nationality or place of residence.
The Brussels executive also pointed to the homepage of the Maltese public transport company, which said it was possible to obtain a personalised smart card with a non-Maltese identity document. The card would be delivered to postal addresses outside Malta, provided that the applicant pays the relevant postal costs.
The Commission therefore found that the discrimination claim did not subsist.
Meanwhile, the Commission also told Maltese MEP Therese Comodini Cachia that the Maltese government was working on the transposition of the directive on measures to reduce the cost of deploying high-speed electronic communication networks.
In a question last November, Dr Comodini Cachia had asked the Commission about Malta’s preparedness to implement the directive.
She also asked whether the Commission was satisfied with the progress made in Malta to ensure that citizens have access to internet speeds higher than 30Mbps and that more than half of its households subscribe to internet connections with a speed above 100 Mbps.
The Commission replied that the Malta Communications Authority and Transport Malta were advising the government on the directive’s transposition. A widespread consultation with various government entities was being carried out and a public consultation had closed.
It added that the Maltese government was proposing amendments to local regulations to bring it in line with the directive.
“Malta has completed its broadband coverage and all connections are at least 30 Mbps. The take-up of fixed broadband is well above EU average. By the end of 2014 most consumers had migrated to fast broadband services,” the Commission said in its reply.