Politicising the rise in energy costs only clouded the issue and hindered the process to identify long-term solutions,the Malta Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise and Industry told The Times Business yesterday. In a statement on Tuesday, the Chamber warned that it was no time to create a crisis.

Asked to clarify its message, a Chamber spokesman said yesterday: “Some elements of the press are branding these increases as austerity measures which obviously they are not. This is not a crisis. Malta is not in the same situation as Greece and we should not be telling people to take to the streets. This is in no way to single out the opposition. Politicising this issue does not help matters. We need to keep things in perspective.”

The Chamber stressed this was not the first increase in energy prices and it was not likely to be the last, given international price trends. It urged the social partners to take a long-term view of the issue and work to tap every opportunity for European Union support. Even longer-term, the country needed to continue to work to reduce its dependency on fossil fuels and become more energy-efficient.

The Chamber and its members were concerned about the increases, particularly as they risked affecting prices and fuelling inflation, besides piling pressure on businesses to increase wages and salaries.

Meanwhile, fuel, gas and energy prices will be discussed at a special meeting of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development tomorrow.

On Tuesday the Chamber said it hoped the meeting would lead to “long-term sustainable solutions which would allow the country to safeguard its competitiveness, jobs and the standard of living of each and every citizen”.