Ministers unite to stress importance of green economy

The minister for the environment and sustainable development, Leo Brincat, and the minister for education and employment, Evarist Bartolo, agreed that it was in Malta's best interest to become more 'green'.

The two ministers were speaking at the launch of a public consultation this morning entitled 'Green Economy - Towards a strategy and action plan', which was held at the Corinthia San Gorg in Paceville.

Brincat said that it was the duty of government to not only look towards creating a green society and green jobs, but to implement clear strategies in order to have a concrete plan of action in place.

"A collective effort is now needed so as to come up with some form of a national plan of action," he said.

Brincat said that the public wanted - and deserved - concrete results, rather than to merely listen to nice political rhetoric.

"We need to start working towards targets from now," he said.

Evarist Bartolo said that Malta needed a good National Agricultural Policy in place to serve as a good foundation for green jobs. He said that, unfortunately, Malta was lacking in this field, especially when compared to other countries.

"If we are going to start preparing for a green economy, we need the skills and resources to do so. It is our job to help create these skills," he said.

William Parnell, an Irish representative from the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, was a guest speaker at the event. He said that Ireland and Malta had certain similarities, in the sense that they were both islands and based much of its policy on foreign investment.

He said that the need for a green economy was going to be around for a long time and Malta, like Ireland, needed to address it.

He said a green economy was a multi-sectoral facet, encompassing renewable energy, energy efficiency, agriculture, and water and waste management amongst other areas.

Parmnell said that Malta should not copy anyone else's green policy but should build on its own strengths, adding that, contrary to popular belief, green economies were not a threat to businesses.