GRTU last week met minister Leo Brincat in a meeting that was requested by the minister himself.

The minister informed GRTU that according to Budget 2015 government decided that the eco contribution will be removed on all electronic and electrical products and instead Malta will start conforming to the WEEE Directive. The minister presented the draft Legal Notice and gave a short explanation on the plans government has in this regard.

GRTU welcomed the consultation, however, GRTU also informed the minister that, without any reservations, it requires a clear guarantee by the government that it will first exempt all those operators who between 2007 and 2015 were carrying their environmental obligations under eco contribution, from the legal obligations under the WEEE Directive covering the same period.

This is a cardinal point for the GRTU and a priority because it is not acceptable that an operator pays an environmental tax twice on the same product.