FATF task force will assess Malta’s grey-listing progress next month

Mar 18 2022

The Prime Minister announced that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) visit to assess Malta’s progress to get off the greyest will occur next month.

Speaking during an event at the MCAST institute in Paola, the PM said that the fact that we had a short action plan and that Malta managed to satisfy the criteria is satisfying.

‘I will not repeat the mistakes of others and say I will get us out of the greylisting in three months. I will continue to exert caution and will deliver’ said Abela.

The FATF ruled that Malta had substantially complete its action plan earlier this month, warranting an on-site visit to verify that reforms have begun. Abela said Malta had to convince the FATF on a plan to implement 85 reforms.

‘We instantly initiated the process to implement the reforms. In April, they will visit Malta, and during the next plenary, we hope to receive the result we are all waiting for’ he said.

Contradicting claims by two PN candidates about trackless tram car lanes

Mar 18 2022

Nationalist Party candidates have allegedly contradicted each other when it comes to explaining how a proposed trackless tram will not lead to a reduction in existing traffic lanes.

Spokesperson for the party Toni Bezzina said that no existing traffic lanes will be lost despite the tram requiring a dedicated lane. He insisted the existing road space will be administered in a way to create a dedicated lane for the tram.

However, PN candidate Ryan Callus contradicted the claim earlier during the week by saying that the tram will take up one of the existing lanes so that roads will not be widened.

Callus told journalists that the tram will take up one of the lanes. ‘We will not take up additional land to widen roads but people will understand the importance of taking the tram rather than using their car.

Callus spoke about ‘rationalising’ existing road space to create a dedicated lane. Neither of the two candidates have explained how existing road space will be better administered or rationalised without having to lose one of the existing lanes.

With the Opposition insisting that no further land will be taken up and no existing lanes will be lost, the only option which remains is to narrow the lanes and add a third squeezed lane. However, this was not yet addressed by the PN for the potential road safety issues.

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Lidl Malta rationing basic items due to Ukraine crisis

Mar 18 2022

Lidl Malta is placing an official limit on the number of basic items customers can purchase in a single trip. Shoppers were being told that a shipment of products got caught up in Russia.

Clients can now only buy five items for canned fruits and vegetables. Toilet paper, kitchen towels and napkins are limited to three pieces per item and per receipt. As per one-litre bottles of vegetable oils, they are limited to three pieces per receipt.

Five-litre bottles are limited to one item as corned beef, baby food and flour are limited to a maximum of three pieces per item and per receipt. An official statement explaining the limits has not yet been issued by Lidl as of yet.

This comes as Maltese importers and producers aim to secure alternative supply sources due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. The price of wheat rose by almost 30% since the war broke out.

Importers and producers held meetings with government officials this week to discuss the supply shortage. The Prime Minister pledged to keep prices under control as the war rages on.

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Prime Minister pledges to keep bread and energy prices controlled

Mar 18 2022

Prime Minister Robert Abela revealed that the government is holding talks with wheat importers to keep the price of bread under control.

Speaking to the Malta Independent, the PM said that the government is monitoring the situation with regards to several commodities, from bread to oil and fuel and energy. He reiterated that the government anticipated the impact of the Ukrainian war when it came to the price of wheat and cereals.

Given that both Russia and Ukraine are among the main producers of these products, the PM sad that the government has met importers to find solutions. Abela said that the government always pledged to remain close to the people since the pandemic hit and that it will continue to do so in the wake of current situations.

He said the same when it came to energy prices as the Electro-gas hedging agreement comes to an end in April.

‘We gave a clear guarantee in March 2020 that prices would remain stable and I will keep on pledging it now and in future. The prices of electricity, petrol, diesel and LPG will remain stable – meaning they will not rise’ he said.

When asked about whether there was a new hedging agreement, the PM evaded the question and insisted that prices would remain stable. Malta has a fixed price agreement with power stations and LNG terminal operator Electrogas, whose partners include the Azerbaijani state-owned SOCAR trading. The experts comes at a date when the international prices of oil and gas spiked due to the invasion of Ukraine.

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