All international organisations of which Malta form part gave great importance to the energy sector and were anxious to see alternative sources developed as soon as possible. In Malta's case especially, this would be possible only with adequate infrastructure, which is why all information and other resources that could be gleaned from Irena would be of such great value.
Dr George Vella (PL) said Malta was physically cut off from the mainland with no resources of its own except natural. The country therefore stood to benefit greatly from membership of Irena.
Ever since its inception the agency had taken the energy issue very seriously from a number of angles, including economic security and the overcoming of the greenhouse effect.
All too often energy had been used as a political tool. There was also a clear relationship between the rate of energy provision and economic growth, including employment.
The whole world was trying to solve the problems inherent in the provision of energy by searching for alternative or renewable sources. Irena was coordinating all efforts on an international level by facilitating the sharing of information on the subject, including various forms of data and experience or practices gained on projects that had already been implemented. Optimum efficiency in the energy sector depended on complete transparency among member nations.
Dr Vella said Malta's participation was compatible with its membership of the EU, which itself had a whole chapter on energy. Even from its outset under a different name, the EU had always attached great importance to energy, originally based on coal and later on nuclear energy.
In the Lisbon Treaty, the energy sector was described in the context of shared competence of administration, which meant that the Union would take decisions without prejudice to any others taken by individual member states.
The EU imposed policies and targets that must be reached, but Irena could develop the means to help achieve those targets. The current Belgian presidency itself had promised to lead the efforts by adopting a roadmap of achievements and a new packet of EU infrastructure.
Dr Vella said all this was very important in view of the social dimension of energy. People who were not making ends meet with the costs of energy were considered to be in energy poverty.
The EU clearly realised that if adequate policies were not set out and achieved for energy provision, all its aims could go with the wind. The current targets were for a 20 per cent reduction of emissions by 2020 and 50 per cent by 2050, but in spite of the several pronouncements and provisions, the EU had cut a very poor figure in the Copenhagen conference on climate change.
The Union must speak with one voice, conviction and, above all, authority.
The Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly, based in Malta, also took the matter of energy very seriously and had issued very good reports on the situation.
Membership of Irena would also provide added opportunities to relieve the current exaggerated burden of energy costs and would help Malta to avoid penalties it would stand to incur if it failed to achieve the emissions targets for 2020.
The scenario presented by the National Audit Office in this sense was not very encouraging. Progress had been registered, but Malta was considered to be still in the planning stages.
Concluding, Dr Vella said too many people were labouring under poverty brought about by rising costs of energy.