Metsola wants economic shift to sustainability in Malta

25.10.2019 15:09

Metsola wants economic shift to sustainability in Malta

Important notice
Views expressed here are the views of the national delegation and do not always reflect the views of the group as a whole
Roberta Metsola
Translation
This content is also available in:

Malta and Gozo need to move faster on adapting their economy away from a linear model towards a model of sustainability, said Member of the European Parliament for Malta and Gozo, Roberta Metsola, who was speaking during the EY Malta Attractiveness Event 2019 today.

“The only way to future-proof Malta and Gozo’s economy is to shift our economic policy towards a true circular economy with sustainability at the heart of all public and economic policy. That is how we answer the age-old question of how to satisfy today’s needs without compromising future generations. We can save our environment and grow our economy but we have to be smarter,” said MEP Metsola.

“A shift away from a linear to a circular economy is beneficial not only in terms of environmental impact but it simply makes economic sense. It is the only way to grow our economy sustainably. It is an economic vision that creates jobs, generates new spheres of economic activity and saves the planet. We cannot run our economy like it was still the 1990’s, we have to modernise and we have to do so now,” underscored MEP Metsola.

MEP Metsola spoke about the European Union’s ban on single use plastic, saying that the EU’s goal is to quadruple the capacity for plastic recycling by 2030, at which point all plastic packaging entering the EU market will be recyclable or reusable. She said, “We have created an entire new market and a whole new sustainable sphere of economic activity and one that benefits our environment”.

“Take construction, in Malta we have a problem with construction waste, and Government’s thinking is where to dump it, rather than how to re-use it. Look at Amsterdam. The national goal is for the Dutch economy to be fully circular by 2050, using 50% fewer primary raw materials by 2030. One of the things they use to achieve that, is using old baked bricks for public realm works. They created hundreds of new jobs, solved a problem and generated economic growth. We need to think in these terms, if we are to move forward,” said MEP Metsola

Underlining the urgency of change, MEP Metsola said “It is not easy, it means a fundamental change in the way we design, in the way we produce, we build, consume and dispose of products. But I am convinced that we can make this shift towards sustainability, and we have to do so now.  We are now the last generation of politicians who can do something about it. Soon there will be no going back.

Note to editors

The EPP Group is the largest political group in the European Parliament with 182 Members from 26 Member States

Other related content