It is often said that Malta suffers as a result of insularity – in terms of being an island nation in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.

But over the years, under different administrations, Malta has managed to build its connections to Europe and the world. We have a national airline, and through code sharing agreements (and other carriers) people can travel to and fro from anywhere on the planet. There are mainstream sea links to Europe, North Africa and the rest of the world for cargo. Only recently, the laying of an interconnector to tap into the European electricity grid began. Internet cabling on the sea bed also links us to the digital world.

But Gozo still lags behind – if Malta still suffers insularity then Gozo suffers double insularity, with its only link to the rest of the world being dependent on the ferry service between Malta and Gozo.

The government yesterday said that following the completion of the Cirkewwa ferry terminal, it is now looking into other projects, such as a fast sea link between Malta and Gozo, as well as between Malta and Sicily.

The government said that an expression of interest will be issued in the coming weeks. It also said that it would be looking into the possibility of air transport between Malta and Gozo.

We understand the reservations that people had when the idea of a bridge or underwater tunnel to Gozo was first floated. Cost and length of completion aside, many worry that a bridge would revoke the specific character and change the island irrevocably. This argument is a valid one, but let us forget all that for a second and go back to the ideas that the government has put forward. Gozo needs a fast link to Malta, for example, to convey tourists from Gozo back to the mainland at a busy hub to allow hassle free travel to the airport.

Gozo also needs the link the Sicily, because it could spark off specific tourist arrivals from that island. Gozo has been marketed as a unique tourism destination, but the connections are not really there. This measure would help immensely.

If commercial cargo links were also set up, Gozo could import its needs directly, and thus cut down on haulage and ferry fees.

The air link was always beneficial, and many of those who used it were tourists heading to Gozo from the mainland. The story was the same when helicopters are in service. But a seaplane link does limit the service somewhat. Gozitan hoteliers and tour operators have long looked into the idea of fixed wing airstrip in Gozo, so perhaps it is time to open the plans once more and decide, once and for all, whether it might happen.

Whatever the case may be, one cannot have his cake and eat it too. Just as the Malta-Gozo tunnel link will alter the island, so too will these planned services. What the government (and Gozo) must now do is decide just how much the island can afford to change. It needs links to the outside world, this is self-evident, but at what cost?