Pursues her commitment in favour of islands’ connectivity
During this week, MEP Josianne Cutajar represented the European Parliament as part of a delegation by the Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) in Naples and the island of Ischia in Italy. The delegation met with various stakeholders, local authorities, institutional representatives, and Mayors, with the aim to exchange knowledge, understand challenges and share good practices in the field of sustainable tourism and transportation. During this visit, Dr Cutajar continued to build on her robust four-year long commitment towards reliable and affordable connectivity, from and towards European islands.
In comments relating to the visit, Dr Josianne Cutajar noted how both Gozo and Ischia, despite their unique features, share common factors: both their economies depend on tourism, and both islands depend on transportation and connectivity by sea. “Despite the inherent challenges faced by our islands, their residents and businesses operating from them, challenges that have been recognised in the Islands Report which I negotiated on behalf of the Socialists, it is essential that we strengthen our common efforts, which if complemented by adequate assistance and specific considerations, have the potential to positively shape our shared Mediterranean heritage, in a way that is not only sustainable but also allows our communities to thrive” emphasised Cutajar.
In this context, MEP Josianne Cutajar stated that she is proud to have successfully spearheaded a number of amendments with regards to sustainable fuels (FuelEU Maritime Regulation), ensuring that islands would be provided with more breathing space to successfully implement the environmental targets and obligations being put forward by the European Union. One key example, which will directly benefit islands like Ischia and Gozo, being that passenger ships calling on ports serving islands with under 200,000 inhabitants will be temporarily exempted from implementing a number of new obligations until December 2029, recognising the fact that these islands depend on maritime links for connectivity to the mainland.
Towards the end of the visit, Dr Cutajar reflected on the commonalities tying Euro-Mediterranean islands like Malta, Gozo and Ischia together: “We are not just neighbours sharing the Mediterranean sea but also partners sharing the responsibility of preserving it for future generations.”