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Tonio Fenech defends ‘clear policies’ on energy in face of Labour criticism
Labour claims European Commission’s recommendations to raise retirement age and change COLA are ‘down to government incompetence’
11 July 2012, 12:00am
Matthew Vella
Matthew Vella
2 min read
Tonio Fenech said Labour's energy policies were not backed up by costings on how utility rates will be reduced.
Finance minister Tonio Fenech has defended government's "consistency" on forging ahead with the Delimara power station extension, and securing the European Commission's agreement on financing gas pipelines for border member states.
Fenech was reacting to Opposition leader Joseph Muscat's criticism that the tender issue to convert Delimara to a gas-fired power station, from its heavy fuel oil engine, had demonstrated a lack of vision.
In a statement, Fenech said Labour was in favour of a diesel-fired power station and also a carbon capture project, the latter being proposed by Norwegian firm Sargas. "Muscat says he will reduce utility rates but now how he will do this. Government this year absorbed the increase in the international price of oil not to have utility rates increase."
Fenech said this aid and the loan to safeguard Air Malta's viability had led to an increase in government deficit, but said Malta's financial position was still strong. "Muscat uses buzzwords that fill in the Opposition's political holes, but government's economic policies are bearing fruit. We've seen 3,000 new workplaces this year while unemployment in the rest of Europe is growing, thanks to €130 in foreign and local investment."
Fenech also stood by claims that the government had created 20,000 new jobs since 2008, which today was questioned by Labour MEP Edward Scicluna who said Eurostat figures show new jobs - as defined by the EU's statistical arm - totalled 9,700 since the government's re-election.
Labour criticism on EC recommendations
Earlier, Labour said the European Commission's calls to Malta to raise retirement age and tag the Cost Of Living Adjustment mechanism to productivity gains rather than inflation, were down to the Prime Minister's incompetence.
"These are the same country specific recommendations the EC had already made in 2011, to which the government did not raise any objection. This has lost Lawrence Gonzi all credibility to fight his case in the face of the new recommendations for 2012," Labour said in a statement.
"The government's credibility is now undermined... Gonzi's position is a dubious one, and is based on convenience, not conviction. It means GonziPN will raise the retirement age after the elections."
Matthew Vella, a freelance journalist at MaltaToday, was formerly executive editor at Malt...
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Most sincerely, I hope Labour would find the time and energy after the next elections to bring to book all these wise guys that have sucked our coffers dry whilst gorging themselves silly on our assets. What frustrates me is the good number of PN apologists that try to catch the intelligent citizen with babbaw tales of the past, forgetting their own party's hideous deeds. Malta's citizens are interested in the future. A big enough mess had been created by both parties in the past.
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L-ewwel nhallsu erba miljuni f' commission bi Sur Joe Mizzi jpappiha,mbad Gonzi jidderfendi process kollu,wara Gonzi f'attivita tal pn jghidt li jekk jerga lura fi zmin jerga jaghmel u jghidt l-istess diskors fuq l-estennzjoni tal power station,mbad jnehhi din l-ugih ta ras minfuq ghonq Wistin the super man u jtiha lil ministru ta CWIC MALTIN Tonio Fenech!!Ma domnix ftit wara nisimu lil Lawerence Gonzi li mar il Qatar bix jiddiskuwti kif tista tithaddem l-energija permezz tal gas!!Issa johrog sur Tonio Fenech b'din l-istqarijja!!Mentri fuq naha l-ohra tal munita tisma lil Joseph Muscat konsistentament jghidt li l-gas,l-gas u l-gas hija l-alternattiva bix inkunu nistu niproduwcu l-elettriku.Mieghu nqadu esperti li jahdmu jew jistudjaw f'dan il-qasam li huma kompletmanet barra mil kwadru politiku ta pajjizna!!
Allura jin nistaqsi,x'sar minnhom dawna l-esperti li huma mhalsin mi taxxi taghna li taw dawna pariri lil prim ministru bix issa qied jaghmel U TURN kolosali bhal dik??U min huma??Kemm qedin jithallsu??Risposti li huwa dmir ta Lawerence Gonzi li jirrispondi ghalihom izda insibha ferm difficli li bhalissa ghandu hin,il-hegga u determinazzjoni li jirrispondi ghax quddiemu qieghed jara biss kif se jsalva lil TITANIC tieghu GONZI PN li qed jereq!!ERA MEGLIO IL CAPITANO SCHIETTINO!!!!Tort tieghek prim ghax l-osessjoni tal POTER rikbek bhal kull vizju iehor u konsegwenzi ahna qedin inbatuhom f'iktar taxxi u incertezza!!!
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Ghal SuperTonio il-policies huma "clear". Tkomplix iddahhakna ghax dahhaqtna bizzejjed. Purcinellata wara l-ohra. U min ihallas? AHNA, minn butna. Hlief xi erba' imzazen m'ghadu jemminkhom HADD!
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" clear policies " ? L-ewwel nhallsu 4 miljun ewro commission biex inxtrat power station tahdem bil Heavy Fuel Oil u ISSA qed nistudjaw kif nistghu naqilbuha ghal Gass , kif ilu mill bidu nett ihammbaq il Labour.
