Members of the Council of the Gozo Business Chamber have agreed to provide Maltese MEP Alfred Sant concrete instances of the compensatory mechanisms that are necessary for Gozo to make amends for its isolation, but which could be out of line with EU competition policy.

A delegation of the Gozo Business Chamber, led by Mr. Joseph G. Grech and Mr. Michael Galea, CEO and Council Secretary respectively, met Dr. Sant at the Council Offices in Victoria, Gozo. Dr Sant promised the Council he will bring these instances up for discussion and review at the European Parliament.

Dr. Alfred Sant told the delegation from the GBC that at European Parliament level he was working to get reports dealing with EU competition policy to make specific allowances for the situation of isolated regions and islands in the EU, and to accept that these should be given special treatment.

The Gozo Business Chamber and Dr. Sant discussed the situation in the Gozitan sectors of manufacturing, farming and real estate. The Council members queried the extent to which compensatory measures designed to compensate Gozo for its diseconomies of scale and isolation, would be allowable under EU competition rules. Dr. Sant confirmed that prospects in this regard are "rather bleak."

The Maltese MEP and Council members also discussed the state of play regarding proposals to build a tunnel between Malta and Gozo. Dr. Sant confirmed that if it was so decided by Malta, "an in-depth study on the viability of the project could be financed through project funds available for Malta from the EU."

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