Prime Minister says accessibility a key issue for Gozo

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said that creating accessibility between Malta and Gozo was a 'key issue' for the government.

The Prime Minister was speaking at a meeting this afternoon with the Gozo Regional Committee at Castille, in which he said that Gozo was a priority for the government because of the high potential that it offers.

"This government wants to improve the systems of accessibility between Malta and Gozo. This could mean improving the Gozo Channel Service or by introducing other means of accessibility. We must, however, do our homework first before making any decisions.  Environmental and economic considerations must always be put into the equation" he said.

The President of the Committee, Michael Grech, said that it hoped that Gozo would not be treated in an inferior manner to Malta, saying that the island had its own challenges which required different tactics.

Muscat, however, reassured Grech that Gozo was very much in the government's plans.

"The island of Gozo, and its people, is a priority for this government.  Our aim is to bring foreign investment to the island, as well as creating jobs for Gozitans. I am convinced that the upcoming budget will allow for this to happen," he said.

Whilst acknowledging that the committee was in favour of an airstrip in Gozo, he said that a short-term and medium term study had to be carried out first, with particular importance given to the environmental and economical issues.

Muscat also confirmed that a helicopter operator had expressed an interest in starting up a transport service between the two islands but he said that the government was against such a service being run on a chartering basis, insisting that such a service should have a set schedule.