Church commission says pre-budget doc lacks strong environmental focus

The commission said that in the pre-budget document’s section on ‘greening the economy’ the finance ministry appears to be more concerned about the economy, and that environmental concerns “seem to ‘make sense’ only within the context of them being the source of more economic gains. Social concerns are noticeably lacking in the whole chapter.”

The commission said incentives and deterrents to force industry into opting for sustainable practices have not been successful strategies.

“The former has failed because it is still more advantageous to operate unsustainably than to go for sustainable practices. The latter failed because enforcement of regulations is very weak and wrongdoers are not just being allowed to prosper but they do so at the expense of those who comply with regulations.”

The Commission is proposing that a market-based instrument should be the positive discrimination of companies who have invested in sustainable practices. “This means that companies with a certified green record would be advantaged over others who are not in, for example, the awards of tenders or in fiscal rebates. Obviously certification would need to be established by an independent authority.”

The commission also called to attention the need to care for people with inadequate housing and healthcare support to move out of a state of dependency.

“It is true that a decent job gives one not only a sense of self-esteem but an opportunity to function as an active member of society. The problem, however, would be how people living in poverty and on the margin of society can be adequately and properly assisted to enter the labour market. Over and above training and education, these people have a host of more basic and urgent housing and healthcare needs.”

The commission said while the pre-budget document observes that “persons who become dependent on the welfare state end up being trapped in such a system”, tackling the problem does not only require external measures that weed off undeserving people off the system. “It involves a culture change from one of dependency to one of contribution. Essentially, this would imply the cultivation of a sense of justice that would dispose one to contribute to the common good.”

The full text can be retrieved from the Commission’s page on the Church in Malta website.