“The right of the present generation to use what it needs of the natural resources now available, makes it equally our obligation that our descendants shall not be deprived of what they need.” - Gifford Pinchot
The concept of human well-being, economic growth and the achievement of a sustainable future has been on the minds of economists since the aftermath of the industrial revolution. Working towards sustainability requires fundamental social changes and, in today’s climate, people are sensing an ethical imperative to change. As Minister for Gozo this sentiment is mutual and it is my goal to help entrepreneurs push towards placing Gozo on the map as an example for other small regions, with problems of insularity, towards a more sustainable equitable economy.
This can be done by helping local businesses calculate their own potential and become aware of their capacity to invent, innovate, discover, reorganise, create, correct and improve. By doing this, they will be more flexible and able to devise solutions to the problems confronting them. It is my belief that a setting where businesses have sustainable development at their core will attract like-minded foreign investors to our island. This will increase their potential towards being full contributors to the country’s economy and boost employment opportunities in Gozo for Gozitans and foreigners alike.
Our business ventures
Easier access to finance is necessary to further enhance investment and job creation in Gozo as a region. This is in line with the Europe 2020 strategy, the Commission’s Single Market Act and the Small Business Act. One of the issues that small businesses encounter in small island-regions is the financing gap, where SMEs are unable to raise enough capital to support their business venture. Often, this difficulty stems from the lack of critical size and business competitiveness. Within this context, a recognized success story in Malta is the JEREMIE loan guarantee product, which has provided risk coverage to a significant number of enterprises in Malta.
Indeed, such a success story can be replicated through the establishment of tailor-made engineering instruments that are suited specifically for businesses in the island of Gozo, which are smaller in nature and are exposed to higher risk in comparison to businesses located on mainland Malta. Acknowledging non-traditional modes of financing is also key for Gozo-based businesses, as they can offer myriad opportunities.
Our planning
Economic planning also provides for business incubation that goes hand-in-hand with our strategy of sustainable economic growth. Successful incubation involves offering tailored services, promoting a supportive environment that helps in the creation of new ventures, the fulfilment of potential growth and giving such ventures access to a wide range of business development resources. Gozo is blessed with an encouraging entrepreneurial drive that will combine well with resources generally available to new ventures.
The island’s uniqueness and distinctiveness are at the heart of its potential, a potential that needs to be realised in good part through the hard work of Gozitan business and of all the stakeholders actively involved in supporting it. Finance is the blood which gives life and energy to business. I am fully committed to ensuring that the aspirations and hard work of Gozitan businesses is supported and sustained and I look forward to initiatives that will truly make Gozo the idyllic, innovative and connected destination we all aspire for it to be.
Ramla master plan
Humans derive many tangible and intangible benefits from coastal areas which provide essential components for social and economic development. Ramla l-Ħamra is a popular tourist destination of pristine beauty and important ecological and historical value. Human and environmental pressures could have significant impact on its delicate ecosystem and therefore the protection of Ramla’s natural environment is a priority.
This is why my Ministry is devising a master plan that aims towards the sustainable development of the area and ensuring that there is a complete balance between protecting the bay’s natural environment, being accessible to Gozitans and tourists alike whilst boosting its economic potential. I encourage all stakeholders to cooperate and contribute towards building a master plan for Ramla l-Ħamra, which follows a similar exercise for two other popular tourist areas – Marsalforn and Xlendi.
The Gozo Ministry’s proposals have now been designed and meetings with stakeholders are being planned. Following the necessary consultation process, our aim is to provide another example of sustainable development geared towards the preservation and conservation of a coastal area of great beauty for present and future generations.
End of the scholastic year
Each year, June and July bring another scholastic year to a close, with hundreds of students eagerly awaiting their results and aspiring to move on to higher levels. Our education system plays a significant role in the creation and general improvement of communities and it is important that the relationship between schools, families and communities is strengthened. It is all aimed at achieving the common purpose of improving child welfare, academic and human development, learning conditions and inclusiveness for all children.
Learning begins at home and schools are extensions of family life – bringing together young people with the sole purpose of enhancing and complimenting their education and helping in the formation of character.
Over the years, the family-school link has ensured vital and reciprocal continuity in the formation process from childhood to adulthood. I believe that, apart from the academic schooling, character education is of utmost importance because it nurtures and promotes ethical, intellectual, social and emotional development and is a continuous learning process that helps young people to become critical, caring, moral and responsible individuals.
Character education brings together knowledge, values and skills that are necessary for a successful life. This is important and necessary, especially in today’s modern world – where societies are struggling with disturbing trends of violence, racism and xenophobia – because it helps students develop a good character which, in turn, helps build good societies. I salute all the teaching and supportive teams as they play a vital role in this process.
Gozitan students
Numerous generations of Gozitan past students like me have experienced the benefits of having belonged to the public school system in Gozo. Gozo’s schools are particularly successful in producing excellent students because – in the small school setting – there is a sense of pride and an attitude and sense of personal possession and involvement on the part of students, parents, teachers and the community itself that is very hard to emulate in larger schools. Proof of this is the fact that Gozo produces more graduates per capita than Malta.
At the end of each scholastic year we should cherish a very fundamental concept: that the final goal of each and every stage of the education system is to build a community of people who accept and cherish each other’s different qualities and abilities and adopt inclusiveness as a most precious tool for life. This too is an important factor that will always support Gozo’s sustainable well-being!