MEP Miriam Dalli and the Gozo Business Chamber have said that they believe that Gozo can lead the way in clean and innovative technologies post Covid-19.

The Labour MEP and the Gozo Business Chamber, in a statement said, they also agreed that business sustainability can help Gozo retain its unique features and attract specific economic niche markets for the sister island.

These suggestions were discussed during a meeting held between both sides, with the Covid-19 pandemic being one of the subjects that came under discussion.

It was noted that the health pandemic is having its effects on Gozitan business as well.

According to official figures, the number of passengers travelling between Malta and Gozo during the second quarter this year went down by 63% when compared to the corresponding quarter in 2019. The numbers started picking up again in the summer months.

MEP Dalli and the Gozo Business Chamber, in view of these challenges, discussed ideas on how Gozo can be geared towards being an island that serves as a testing ground for innovative solutions that can help achieve decarbonisation.

Among the ideas discussed were electrification and Zero Emission Vehicles, solar power technology, teleworking options, and other innovative technologies that are being tested with the aim of being rolled out on the market.

They agreed that, “this proactive way of thinking can put Gozo in the forefront of European targets.”

“Although the EU aims to be climate-neutral by 2050, this target can be reached before in Gozo, thanks to its small size, with clear willingness and direction by all,” Miriam Dalli said.

The Gozo Chamber and MEP Dalli went on to exchange tangible examples of how this can be obtained, with ideas such as by testing the use of widespread electric vehicles, promoting remote working across the island and the idea of incentives to help attract specific industries to Gozo.

These were then discussed in the context of a “climate-neutral economy” that will eventually produce net-zero greenhouse gas emissions; “an objective that is at the heart of the European Green Deal.”

It was agreed that whilst being a challenge, this transition can create an opportunity for a better future.

Dr Dalli, on her visit to Gozo, also paid a visit to Farmers Foods, a Gozitan family-owned business that is striving to do business in an innovative and sustainable way.

Company directors explained their no-waste policy, whereby tomato peels and seeds are returned to farmers to provide nutrients for their soil or to feed animals.

Seasonal local vegetables are used in order to produce genuine Gozitan products, that are in turn sold to local businesses and consumers or exported. The MEP urged the importance of supporting local.

Miriam Dalli concluded by urging Gozitan businesses to “think in a long-term manner, in order to make their businesses resilient against the various challenges that they will inevitably face.”

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