It was time for a fourth, greener Industrial Revolution, Labour MEP Miriam Dalli told industry players during a summit on e-mobility held on Friday.

Stakeholders had to to rethink the current economic paradigm, keeping climate change and its challenges in mind, she said.

This was the time to stay ahead of the curve and create opportunity and quality jobs for people, the Labour MEP said.

Sufficient emission reductions needed to happen during the next years if final targets were to be reached, she insisted. This required a coherent policy framework that covered wide-ranging issues from vehicles, employment and electricity grids, she noted.

Member states should decide which country they want in the next 15 years and they should have policies that deliver that transition, she said.

Dr Dalli has spearheaded efforts to curb emission targets across the EU. 

The MEP’s ambitious plan to cut carbon dioxide emissions from cars and vans by nearly 40 per cent by 2030 was given the thumbs up by the European Union earlier last year.

The move had enjoyed wide-ranging support from environmentalists and every-day citizens, but the matter did go down well with Malta’s car sales lobby.

The Labour MEP echoed Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's wish for Malta to become a test-bed for pilot projects on clean technology.

We need to encourage and stimulate this move and stimulate innovation. I’m convinced that it will happen, Dr Dalli said.