“While Malta supports the new 2030 target as proposed by the European Commission this year, the specificities and other limitations that island member states face, including those which are territorial, should be taken into account when setting up national targets.” – Parliamentary Secretary Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi.
Parliamentary Secretary for European Funds Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi made this statement during the informal videoconference meeting of the General Affairs Council of the European Union, tasked with the preparation of the European Council this week.
Dr Zrinzo Azzopardi explained that Malta has the lowest emissions per capita in the EU, with limited emissions reduction potential and unfavourable economies of scale. Hence, these factors should be taken into account when setting environmental targets.
Another point on the agenda included EU-UK relations, where participants received an update on the latest state of play on the BREXIT negotiations and the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement by Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier and Vice-President of the European Commission Maroš Šefčovič, respectively.
Regarding COVID-19 coordination, Dr Zrinzo Azzopardi called for continued coordination on the easing of measures, vaccination, as well as on a possible vaccination certification to facilitate air travel.
On security, the Parliamentary Secretary stressed the importance of working together to tackle all forms of terrorism, both within the EU and internationally. He highlighted the need for more efforts to combat these threats whilst safeguarding the fundamental rights of EU citizens.
Meanwhile, Malta welcomes the European Democracy Action Plan presented by the European Commission and looks forward to discussing the proposals and its implementation.
The European Council, which is scheduled for this week, is expected to focus on climate change in view of the 2030 target, security, COVID-19 coordination, theEU relations’ with its Southern neighbourhood and the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Parliamentary Secretary, Dr Zrinzo Azzopardi, thanked the German Presidency for steering the Council during these challenging times.
Photo: OPM_PS
