As a country that is completely surrounded by a marine environment, the sea forms an intrinsic part of our identity, culture and lifestyle – but not only. The fact that the Maltese Archipelago is surrounded by seawater means that the sea represents a huge element of our economic dimension. In fact, apart from fishermen, because of the presence of the sea, our country has great tourism potential offering job opportunities to so many people,  including those working in the diving sector. The sea provides an opportunity for ‘blue growth’ – the development of a sustainable economy that depends on the sea, something which we have not fully capitalised so far. In addition, our gastronomy – which includes many recipes based on fish – is another reflection of the strong connection we have with the sea.

Since the sea plays such a vital role in our lives, it is therefore beyond dispute that we must all take concrete measures in order to guarantee that we keep our sea clean from any pollution to safeguard its biodiversity. Single-use plastics (SUPs) are particularly damaging to our sea, biodiversity and the surrounding environment. Some 150,000 tonnes of plastic are dumped in European waters each year:  85 per cent of marine pollution consists of plastic. In a meeting with recreational anglers, I was told how our marinas are regularly filled with plastic and how this also has an impact on their hobby.

Taking all these factors into account, this is why – in the European Parliament – I have consistently voted in favour of the new EU measures that intend to ban the use of SUPs, especially plastic forks, knives and spoons, plates, straws, cotton buds, balloon sticks, oxo-degradable plastic and food and beverage containers made of expanded polystyrene, when environment-friendly alternatives do exist. The fact is that, if we do not act now, we will put the future of our sea in peril. If we do nothing, we can predict that, by 2050, there will be more plastic in the sea than fish.

That being said, we each have to play our part and a real culture change is needed. Here I want to recall how the Maltese government not only introduced the EU-funded fruit and vegetable scheme late but, as confirmed by families I visited recently, it is still distributing fruit and vegetables to school children in single-use plastic containers. As an island, Malta is duty-bound to do more in terms of waste management, and I am certainly disturbed by the fact that we are placed last in Europe when it comes to recycling.

Whereas waste management presents a serious challenge for all small islands, including those in the Mediterranean, some islands have taken concrete actions. Take, for instance, Pantelleria and Lampedusa which have already banned – or are in the process of banning – the use of single-use plastic. This leads me to the question: will Malta do this sooner rather than later?

Several NGOs – such as Zibel – have taken the lead to raise awareness, collect plastic and clean our beaches and I want to thank them for their work. In recent weeks I have also participated in the  EU-wide campaign of the European People’s Party through ‘plogging’ which entails jogging/walking and picking up plastic, to raise awareness about collecting waste – especially the plastic that has reached our shores.

Protecting our natural environment, specifically our seas, and guaranteeing that wherever possible we repair damage and reverse trends, has been – and remains – one of my priorities. When I had the privilege of serving as Minister for the Environment, I embarked on a project to collect plastic bottles, implemented a sewage master plan that greatly improved the quality of seawater and introduced the solid waste management strategy that addressed marine dumping. Moreover, with the support of divers, I also spearheaded  campaigns to clean the seabed.

The fight against plastic needs to be a holistic one. The White Flag Initiative – about which I have  raised a question with the European Commission – falls short of this. One cannot collect plastic from a beach, erect a white flag and declare the problem solved. The sea is full of plastic that will be washed ashore with any change in the current. We will need more holistic initiatives to clean our seas and innovation such as sea bins are crucial in this regard. From government intervention to our own individual action, we all have a responsibility for ensuring that we have healthy and sustainable marine ecosystems, and we need to act now!