Agius Saliba says PN claim on European Commissioner’s decision on importers as ‘outright lie’

Labour MEP Alex Agius Saliba has called out the PN for lying about the outcome of his request to the European Commission to investigate de-facto monopolies in the food retail sector. 

The Nationalist Party on Monday organised a press conference to present a letter whereby the European Commissioner refused Agius Saliba’s request. The Labour Party said in a statement that this letter, published in February, was superseded by events, especially through a motion presented by Agius Saliba and approved by the European Parliament which insists that the European Commission should investigate the matter.

In fact, the European Commission invited Agius Saliba to discuss this matter in a dedicated meeting just days after this letter was published. The meeting was held on 7th March and confirmed that the investigation is still ongoing, the Labour Party said.

The Labour MEP remarked how PN spokespersons, particularly MEP candidate Peter Agius, preferred to engage in mudslinging to tarnish his name rather than pursuing a good outcome for Maltese consumers.

“I have repeatedly asked all parties irrespective of their political opinion to join me in this struggle. It is by no means easy to make the European Commission use tools and expertise at its disposal to investigate intricate de-facto monopolies which are leading to artificially high food prices for Maltese consumers. Unfortunately, PN activists seem more interested in proving me wrong, perhaps to gain some political mileage, or worse because of their vested interests.”

Agius Saliba also observed that Peter Agius has been caught lying on other, more trivial and straight forward matters too. “Peter Agius claimed that a sheep farm built through EU funds is being used as a villa, a claim that was quickly debunked as the purpose for which a building is used may be easily verified. It is thus perhaps not surprising that Peter Agius would lie about a more technical and nuanced issue such as this.”

The Labour MEP concluded by reminding voters that Malta needs MEPs who promote their ideals and best interests. “Our representatives in the European Parliament must fight for the rights of Maltese consumers and workers, not for the excessive profits of a few individuals!”