Taking to social media, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Public Works Chris Bonett revealed that, in just one year, ferry passengers increased by 42,409 ever since the transportation was made free.
Back in February of 2023, there were 65,368 ferry passengers. However, in February 2024, after the announcement that ferries were to be made free, the number increased to 107,777.
Have you ever used the ferry?
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Following a recent address by MEP Cyrus Engerer, wherein he addressed his inability to speak in his native language due to Maltese being exempt from having interpreters at the European Parliament, we reached out to sources within the European Parliament services.
Sources within the services of the European Parliament said that whilst a request for an Estonian interpreter was made prior to the press-conference, MEP Engerer did not make such request to be provided with a Maltese interpreter. “If MEP Engerer had made the request, a Maltese interpreter would have been made available,” our sources said.
MaltaDaily reached out to the office of the President of the European Parliament and asked whether initiatives were taken to address the annual derogation on Maltese interpretation in some meetings of the European Parliament. A spokesperson from the President of the European Parlament’s office sent MaltaDaily a letter which Roberta Metsola had sent to Prime Minister Robert Abela back in February of this year, to address an issue that has been present for around 20 years.
In the letter, which was reportedly ignored, Metsola urges for collaboration between the European Parliament and the Government of Malta to address the issue of a lack of interpreters.
‘MEPs should have the right to have access to documents in all official languages’, Metsola wrote, ‘in the same way that they have the right to speak in their official language through the interpretation of 23 other official languages.’
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‘To facilitate this multilingual communication, the Parliament administration depends on the specialised services of people trained in linguistics which, in the case of Maltese, is always becoming more difficult to find.’
As a remedy for the lack of linguists, the letter explains, the European Parliament has a cooperation program with the University of Malta which provides assistance with the aim of training interpreters for conferences. Due to several constraints, the EP can only provide interpretation of Maltese in limited circumstances.
‘This issue is dear to my heart and I felt the need to say that the European Parliament is ready to do everything to address these issues,’ stated President Metsola.
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In 2022, Malta witnessed a notable surge in licensed motor vehicles, increasing by an average net rate of 33 vehicles per day.
While passenger cars remained dominant, comprising 74.7% of total licensed vehicles, the most significant spike was seen in e-kick scooters compared to 2021.
Petrol engines continued to power the majority (58.7%) of vehicles, yet alternative-powered vehicles experienced a substantial 54.9% increase.
Newly licensed vehicles amounted to 23,016, a 9.4% rise from the previous year, with 66.5% being brand new.
Despite this growth, the ratio of licensed vehicles per 1,000 residents slightly decreased to 784. Notably, the Gozo and Comino district boasted the highest vehicle-to-resident ratio, while the Northern Harbour reported the lowest.
Unfortunately, vehicle thefts rose by 27.2%, reaching a total of 309 incidents. Traffic violations remained a concern, with 308,444 contraventions issued, including 50,782 from speed cameras.
Interestingly, commuters embraced public transport more, totalling 49,222,425, a nearly 40% increase from 2021. However, passenger cars still dominated travel, covering 2,321 million kilometres, constituting 79.5% of total distance traveled.
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Rabat Primary School took to social media to announce the kicking off of Sustainable Transport Week.
The school announced that on Monday, the students of Years 1 and 2 of Rabat Primary School, travelled for a day of learning on scooters and bikes.
‘Students brought their scooters and bikes and used them in the area outside the school. Special thanks goes to the community police and the local council for their support.’
The initiative made for not just a sustainable and educational moment, but a fun experience for the students involved as they enjoyed the ride.
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