A problem that has become increasingly obvious over the years is that the regulatory and executive institutions of this country have remained weak. One government after the other allowed them to get weaker and to stay that way, possibly because they believed it was better like so.
The weakness they suffer from is shown by a general breakdown that we all can witness in what happens around us – laws and regulations are not enforced as they should be, by the agencies established to implement them.
Meanwhile, it is argued that the reason for this is “political”: in abusive mode, the proper perimeters that should be kept around “autonomous” agencies are not respected, which prevents them from independently carrying out the tasks they have been earmarked for. Certainly one cannot just write off this explanation. However, I doubt whether by itself it covers the whole picture.
For there is also the difficulty caused by the small scale of our existence in an island nation where everybody knows everybody else. In such a context, the challenge of how to regulate and hold firm is far from being an easy one to face. Unsurprisingly, beyond state institutions, the same problem of a weak performance can also be identified in the “agencies” run by the Church, professional bodies and business federations...
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Islands
An interesting meeting was organised in Brussels under the aegis of the EU’s Committee of the Regions to discuss how European islands are coping with targets agreed by the Union related to their use of clean energy. As with all other parts of the European territory, islands are expected to do their best and reach the set targets.
However, not all islands share the same characteristics and problems. It is not possible to apply to them one uniform approach.
On the other hand, sufficient similarities arise between the situations in which islands are placed, that it makes sense for all islands to hold conversations among themselves, as well as with all those who might have an interest in matters that concern them. In this way, they get to know how others have solved the problems they encountered and they could learn mutually from the experience of others, by comparing it with their own.
From this angle in my view, last week’s meeting could be labelled as quite important.
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For Gozo
Once the focus here has shifted to islands, one could continue to discuss Gozo, even if at the risk of repeating what I might already have written some other time.
The debate concerning what is the major present day challenge for Gozo is an essential one. Some tell you that connectivity remains the top priority: solve that problem and all the others – linked to Gozo’s double insularity – would disappear.
I am less than convinced by this. True, with improved connectivity, there would be an improvement in the ease with which Gozitans can travel to Malta and work there. But it could result too that on this basis, the rationale for creating jobs in Gozo as well as the drive to do so, would shrivel.
The creation of jobs in Gozo is the most crucial priority. It is on that basis that any policy favouring Gozo’s development needs to be grounded. Connectivity as an issue would still get into the equation, but from the aspect that it would be of great help to make the promotion of new and competitive jobs in Gozo a more viable proposition.