New PN government will tap into European funds for Gozo\u2019s benefit, Borg says<\/p>\n
A new Nationalist Party government will aim to tap into more European funds for the benefit of Gozo, in particular when it comes to agriculture and connectivity, PN leader Alex Borg said on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a European People’s Party conference in Gozo, Borg said that Gozo largely depends on Pillar 2 funds from the European Union, which means that it is the government that receives them and, in turn, it is the government that decides what to do with them.<\/p>\n
Instead, there should be a stronger effort for Gozo to benefit from Pillar 1 funds, which would mean that they go directly to the people and industry that needs them. As things stand now, there is no guarantee that Gozo gets the funds it needs, Borg said, saying that the PN is promising measures that, if elected, will assist farmers, such as by removing payments on electricity meters and reducing energy bills by 15%.<\/p>\n
Borg dedicated part of his speech to the projects that a PN government will carry out to improve the quality of life in Gozo.<\/p>\n
One of them is the building of a 400-bed hospital in Gozo, complete with a helipad which would make connections with Malta easier and faster in cases of emergency.<\/p>\n
A Nationalist government will also invest in the expansion of the ports of Mgarr and Cirkewwa, which have grown too small for the demand. The fleet of ships serving the two islands will grow to five, with an additional ship for passengers and another for merchandise, while the lease for the MV Nikolaus will be terminated.<\/p>\n
Borg said that having a ship dedicated to cargo, with a link to Grand Harbour and eventually also to Malta Freeport, will improve connections between the two islands and also eliminate road transport. He said that there are European funds that Malta can tap into to upgrade its Gozo fleet.<\/p>\n
He also promised to have a breakwater built at Marsalforn, an idea which he said has been on the cards for too many years and which the Labour government has failed to implement. Marsalforn suffers greatly in bad weather and this project will serve to protect it.<\/p>\n
During the next legislature 150 kilometres of roads will be rebuilt in Gozo, Borg said.<\/p>\n
All this, he concluded, will make Gozo better and improve the lives of Gozitans and those who visit the island. Gozo should not be an afterthought, he said.<\/p>\n
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