Last Tuesday, the seven organisations and stakeholders within the Ghal Ghawdex Forum and Prof Alex Torpiano, attending as technical advisor, met the Prime Minister and four Cabinet members, Clyde Caruana, Miriam Dalli, Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi and Andy Ellul.

The Forum earlier this year presented an 8-point plan for Gozo designed to promote the concept of responsible architecture, to respect the fabric of traditional village cores, the buffer zones around monuments and scheduled buildings, the village and ridge skylines, and the coastal and rural environment of the island.

The stakeholders, from the outset, stated clearly that the environmental situation in Gozo was in a “state of crisis,” with the “inevitable negative consequences of over-development on the economy, tourism and businesses.”

They also said that “the island of Gozo needs to rethink and diversify its economic sectors, as presently these depend too much on the construction and real estate sectors when compared to the main island of Malta.”

Following the launch of their action plan, the stakeholders have held a series of intensive and positive meetings.

Discussions were held with the Minister for Gozo as well as with the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Planning. Ghal Ghawdex had a combined meeting with the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD) and Gozo Regional Council (GRC). There have also been meetings with the Planning Authority (PA) and the Gozo Regional Development Authority (GRDA).

The GRDA “publicly expressed agreement with most of the 8 points” within the plan, proposing positive ways to further refine the policy outcome that such measures will have, the Forum said.

Following last Tuesday’s meeting, Ghal Ghawdex spokesperson and Din L-Art Helwa Ghawdex head, Godfrey Swain stated, “we welcomed this meeting with the Government but remain determined to push for urgent solutions to the present economic model and to stop the spiralling crisis and deterioration of the lifestyle, heritage and environmental beauty that has made Gozo a beacon of light for many generations of Gozitans, Maltese and foreigners living in or visiting the island.”

During the meeting, the presidents of The Gozo Business Chamber and the Gozo Tourism Association, Joseph Borg and Paul Scicluna respectively, spoke about the deteriorating state and long-term outlook of business and tourism in Gozo.

They highlighted the consequences of “excessive reliance on unsustainable construction industry practices; the bloated public sector leading to a dearth of local talent for employment in the private sector; the excessive reliance on cheap foreign labour leading to a deterioration in service levels in tourism and industry; and the spiralling costs of over-development leading to a negative experience on quality tourism and the authenticity of the Gozo product as a unique destination, distinct from Malta and other competitors.”

The president of ENGO Ghawdix, Simone Azzopardi, expressed concern over the continued loss of Gozitan uniqueness, calling for political will to align the policies with environmental priorities and emphasising the absolute need for urgent action to protect what remains of traditional Gozitan villages and its natural environment.

The Gozo University Group president, Christine Sultana spoke about the growing exodus of young Gozitans to overseas destinations and the mainland due to the lack of high value-adding new businesses opening in Gozo and attractive career opportunities, leading to an ageing population and potential long-term economic stagnation.

Prime Minister Robert Abela laid out the government’s point of view and the stakeholders engaged in an intensive discussion.

He concluded by expressing the intention of the Government to “prioritise the needs of Gozo in the forthcoming Budget.”

The Forum acknowledged and welcomed the Government’s promise to take action, and maintained that “real positive change can only be achieved if urgent, robust and tangible decisions to planning policy and the present economic model are taken and implemented before the end of the year.”

The Ghal Ghawdex Forum is comprised of ENGOs Din L-Art Helwa Ghawdex, Ghawdix and Wirt Ghawdex representing the voice of the environment and heritage lobby in Gozo, the Gozo Business Chamber and the Gozo Tourism Association representing the voice of Gozitan business and tourism, the Gozo Regional Council representing all 14 local councils and all communities of Gozo, and the Gozo University Group representing the youth and future of Gozo

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