“PBS has become Super One 2”; National broadcaster HQ plastered with Labour media branding

Mar 6 2023

Earlier today, a photo of the PBS headquarters plastered with Labour media branding began to make the rounds of social media, with the Nationalist Party and various other local figures addressing the situation.

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In a statement, the Nationalist Party stated that “PBS and Labour media have become one. PBS has become Super One 2.” PN spokespersons Graham Bencini and Michael Piccinino stated that PBS is censoring the PN and that is why the party will continue to insist that responsibility is claimed and action is taken against whoever took the decision to restrain the Nationalist Party.

The spokespersons went on to say that public funds must be used to benefit the public and “not just Robert Abela’s government.”

The is not the first local episode that addressed the state of controversial politics and media, with a string of constitutional court deliberations and Appeals Court confirmation finding that the Public Broadcasting Service breached the PN’s right in an impartiality case.

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Raising awareness on how EU funds are used; enormous restoration work at Fort St. Angelo

Mar 6 2023

The European Parliament Liaison Office held a widely-attended event of Fort St. Angelo in collaboration with Heritage Malta. The aim of the event was to raise awareness on how EU funds are used, with particular reference to the enormous restoration work carried out at Fort St. Angelo.

An introductory video by Heritage Malta kicked off the morning, where the audience were taken through the history of Fort St. Angelo and the state it was left in after the British forces left Malta in 1979. The initial talks were then followed by three simultaneous private tours offered in either English or Maltese.

The video and the physical tours focused in particular on how ERDF Funds were utilised in practise for the restoration of the fortification walls, the barracks and the Egmont Hall. The passage to the Sally Port was also rehabilitated and an interpretation centre and cinema hall were created.

The First Documentation of Fort St. Angelo was provided in 1241 by Giliberto Abate where Castrum Maris was mentioned. The Fort developed as a strategic defence point, particularly for the Knights of St. John during the Siege of Malta in 1565 and in 1800 it became a base for the 35th regiment of the British military. In 1912 it was know as HMS Egmont and later HMS St Angelo. In the years following 1979, projects to develop the Fort as a tourism resort were advanced. In 2007, the Maltese Government entrusted Fort St. Angelo to Heritage Malta to manage for restoration. In 2010, Heritage Malta developed as assessment plan and a basic financial estimate for restoration. In May 2011, an application for EU funding on the basis of the European Regional Development Fund was submitted. The goal was to make the fortress accessible and to ensure preservation as a tourist site for future and present generations.

The event, which was attended by a hundred-strong audience, was followed by a light and networking lunch.

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1,812,834 total guests welcomed by local hotels in 2022

Mar 6 2023

According to newly released information by the National Statistics Office (NSO), a total of 1,812,834 guests stayed in collective accommodation establishments in 2022.

This is an increase of 831,044 over the same period in 2021. The total nights spent increased by 3,593,362, reaching 8,204,068 nights.

Looking at the fourth quarter of 2022, the largest share of guest nights was reported in 4-star hotels, with 46.4% of the total. The average length of stay in collective accommodation establishments went down to 4.2 nights in the court quarter of last year.

This dropped from the average of 4.6 nights registered during the same quarter of 2021. The net use of bed-places stood at 49.8%, which is up by 8.9% points when compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year.

On a national level, there were 251 active collective accommodation establishments with a net capacity of 18,227 bedrooms and 41,809 bed-places in December 2022.

As per a regional breakdown, the total guests in Malta numbered 447,098, whereas the number of nights spent stood at 1,913,262. The total guests and nights in Gozo and Comino increased to 21,368 and 54,198 respectively.

This is up from 19,729 and 54,060. When compared with the same quarter of the previous year in Malta, the average length of stay went down by 0.4 of a night to 4.3 nights.

In Gozo and Comino, the average length of stay decreased by 0.2 of a night to 2.5 nights. The net occupancy rate in Malta increased by 9.6% points, reaching 50.8%. That in Gozo and Comino decreased by 3.0% points to 29.9%.

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Marking a year of war against Ukraine

Mar 6 2023

Marking a year of war against Ukraine, a public discussion with Sakharov Prize Laureates and Members of the European Parliament took place at the University of Malta.

It was addressed by Sakharov Prize Laureates 2022 Oleksandra Matviychuk, human rights lawyer and Chair of the Centre for Civil Liberties, and Yaroslav Bozhko, spokesperson for The Yellow Ribbon Civil Resistance Movement, both speaking online from Ukraine, and MEP Cyrus Engerer (S&D, Malta), LIBE Committee member and shadow Rapporteur on the Reception Conditions Directive. The panel included also the EU Asylum Agency’s Head of Communications Anis Cassar, Dr Valentina Cassar, International Relations Senior Lecturer specialising in nuclear politics, US and Russia foreign and security policies, and European security and defence issues, and Ukrainian journalist Inna Honcharuk-Plikhivska.

The discussion opened with a video message recorded for it by EP President Roberta Metsola, who highlighted that “by choosing to open up their borders, their homes and their hearts to our Ukrainian friends – Member States, local communities and even individual European citizens – have triggered what can only be described as a remarkable display of European solidarity. And yet, the reality is that the war in Ukraine remains on-going. We will be called upon to do yet more. But the Maltese have always been known to be people of generosity, ones that you can rely on, and that empathise with the most vulnerable people on our planet. So I am convinced that we will continue playing our part in supporting Ukraine and its people.”

For Sakharov Prize Laureate 2022 Oleksandra Matviychuk, human rights lawyer and Chair of the Centre for Civil Liberties, “after the year of large-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine, we can declare that Russia is a vivid example that a state that kills journalists, imprisons activists and disperses peaceful demonstrations poses a threat not only to its citizens, but to the entire region. Therefore, human rights must be as important as economic benefits or security in political decision-making. The values of modern civilization must be protected”.

Yaroslav Bozhko, political analyst and spokesperson for the Yellow Ribbon Civil Resistance Movement, also a Sakharov Prize Laureate 2022, observed that “this war became a challenge for all Western principles as a whole. We all need the creation of new rules for the entire Western civilization, which will ensure security and protection of human rights in the world. Whether such terrible events will continue in the world will depend on the conclusions drawn from the war in Ukraine”.

MEP Cyrus Engerer (S&D, MT) highlighted that “we are a Union built on the premise of peace between powers that were at war, and our mission should always be to strive for peace globally. At the same time we must stand for what is right and therefore be clear in our declarations and that the unprovoked Russian aggression on Ukraine is not only unjust but also violates the principles of the UN Charter, its values and the rule-based international order that all nations, including Russia, agreed to. There is one solution to the war in Ukraine – the restoration of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine”.

MEP David Casa (EPP, MT), speaking in a video message, underlined that “the European Parliament stands united when it comes to supporting Ukraine’s fight. The European Union has welcomed more than 8 million Ukrainians, mostly women and children. Close to 5 million people so far benefitted from temporary protection and similar protection schemes across Europe, including Malta which currently has around 1700 Ukrainians registered under temporary protection.Our support will not diminish. It is a dark time for Europe and it is even darker for Ukraine but it is a time when we are standing united. United for Ukraine, united for Europe and united for our way of life.”

The discussion was moderated by Professor Anna Khakee, Associate Professor in International Relations at the University of Malta, and opened by the Head of the European Parliament Office in Malta Dr Mario Sammut. This event was organised by the European Parliament Office in Malta in cooperation with the Department of International Relations at the University of Malta.

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