Why are Esso and other popular international brands of petroleum products available in Cyprus but not in Malta?
Why is the price of unleaded petrol (RON95) in Cyprus €1.133 per litre, which is 18.7 cents lower than the price in Malta? Why is the price of premium unleaded petrol (RON98) in Cyprus €1.179 per litre, which is 14.1 cents lower than an inferior quality of petrol in Malta?
Why is the price of diesel in Cyprus €1.083 per litre, which is 13.7 cents lower than in Malta?
How is it possible that the Ministry for Energy in the Republic of Cyprus attracts local representatives of foreign oil companies to provide their products and services on that island, in spite of the fact that a third of Cyprus is occupied by Turkey?
Why has the Ministry for Energy in Malta failed to attract a single representative of a foreign oil company to supply its brand of petrol in Malta, other than what Enemed is supplying?
How can the European Commission not see that the Ministry for Energy in Malta is crowding out the local representatives of foreign oil companies through its state-owned company, Enemed Company Limited, in spite of all its talk about its pro-business policy?
Is it possible that the European Commission is allowing the local authorities to take it for a ride with all kind of excuses to maintain the dominant position of Enemed in the local market?
Esso, BP and Shell used to provide their products and services in Malta 40 years ago. Why have they not returned following Malta's accession to the European Union?
The importation, storage and wholesale of petrol and diesel should not remain in the hands of the government or Enemed. The importation, storage and wholesale of petrol and diesel should be left in the hands of the local representatives of the foreign oil companies, as is the case in the other EU Mediterranean island Cyprus?
It is evident that either Enemed is not competent to procure its supplies of petrol and diesel at competitive prices as other private companies are doing in Cyprus, or else it is making huge profits at the expense of consumers in Malta.
On paper, Malta has the necessary institutions, such as the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority (MCCAA), and the Malta Resources Authority (MRA), and the Regulator for Energy & Water Services (REWS), but all these are useless when it comes to the practices of state-owned companies!
The Esso image taken over the weekend has kindly been provided by a former resident of Malta, David Reiling, who has since moved to Cyprus.
The Malta Automobile Club is waiting for a decision by the European Parliament concerning its submission of a petition on the absence of competition in the importation, storage and wholesale of petroleum products in Malta.
Alfred A. Farrugia