Initiatives & Interventions

Leading Initiatives

Louis Grech's work in the European Parliament is vast and wide-ranging.  It is motivated by a desire to use European institutions in the service of Maltese citizens, be they consumers, companies, businesses, non-governmental organizations, cultural and sports groups, and others.

His work includes interventions on the plenary floor of the Parliament, parliamentary questions, and includes the drafting of resolutions or amendments to resolutions on such subjects as:

Parliamentary Questions

2010

  • Louis Grech requested that the European Commission sees to it that the Maltese Government (i) starts offering refunds to patients undergoing medication to treat post-menopausal osteoporosis and Alzheimer’s disease, and (ii) updates the list of conditions and diseases for which refunds should be given, such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).      Access to Medication (reply awaited)
  • Louis Grech drew the attention of the European Commission to the fact that Maltese consumers are still paying rates which are double the average of those paid in the EU as far as tariffs per minute of mobile telephony, asked whether it considers that this goes against the interests of consumers, and asked the Commission to intervene in favour of more competitive rates for mobile telephony in Malta.  Mobile phone rates Answer 
  • Louis Grech sought the assurance of the European Commission that students and organisations affected by the suspension of various Life Long Learning programmes would be reimbursed their expenses, requested that alternative arrangements be made so that beneficiaries who were suffering unjustified hardship would not lose out, and asked whether the Commission was contemplating further investigations and additional measures.  LLL programmes suspension   Answer
  • Louis Grech raised various matters affecting health and the environment in the south of Malta and requested that the Commission  investigates whether EU regulations were being adhered to by the Maltese Government in respect of the proposed Delimara Power Station extension, gives its opinion regarding the quality of life in that part of Malta as affected by environmentally hazardous projects, and ensures that a proper action plan is drawn up to monitor pollution and mitigate it.  Health and Environment in South of Malta   Answer 
  • Louis Grech raised the question of the problem of black dust affecting certain localities in Malta and asked that the European Commission investigate this matter, establish whether EU regulations on air pollution were being adhered to, and request the Maltese authorities to take appropriate measures to solve this 10-year-old problem once and for all.  Black Dust problem   Answer 

2009

  • Louis Grech, with others, requested the Commission to update the EP on the EU’s strategy for the Danube region, its priorities and project selection criteria. European Strategy for the Danube Region

Initiatives, 2004-2009

Immigration

 

Illegal Immigration

Over the years, Louis Grech has insisted that (1) the EU should adopt a global policy towards the problem of illegal immigration and that it should put into real practice the much-vaunted principle of solidarity between the member-states, and that (2) Malta should be given special attention due to its particular circumstances in the frontline of the wave of immigrants from Africa to Europe.  He has concentrated his attention on:

  • illegal immigration and its impact on Malta
  • proposals so that the Frontex Agency operates all the year round, its terms of reference are extended to include the protection of the EU’s frontiers in the whole Mediterranean, and it is endowed with the appropriate resources and assets to carry out its mandate, as revised.

Louis Grech’s work on the issue of illegal immigration between 2004-2009 included:

  • A proposal for the setting up of an agency in Malta to co-ordinate the work of controlling illegal immigration, which proposal was approved by an absolute majority on the Budget Committee, though the European People’s Party then voted against it.  Later the European Commission accepted the proposal for an independent agency which was called the European Asylum Support Office.
  • Louis Grech worked with another Maltese MEP to convince their respective political groups to allocate €60m in the 2008/9 Budget, to finance the administration of Frontex. This made it possible for the Agency to patrol the southern borders of the Mediterranean, and thus help Malta in its particular problems.
  • A Report on Solidarity and Management of Immigration: the European Fund for the Integration of Persons from Third Countries, 2007-2013
  • Two motions, together with MEP Martine Roure, about the situation of refugees in Malta
  • Critical remarks about the Union’s failure to treat the illegal immigration issue with the urgency and commitment it required
  • A request for revision of the so-called Dublin II Regulation
  • A Fact-finding mission about illegal immigration by the Budget Committee
vat_on_car

 

Consumers

VAT on Car Registrations

Way back in October 2007 Louis Grech started working so that justice would be done by Maltese consumers who had been made to pay, illegally, VAT on the car registration tax since 2004. For this purpose he had meetings with Commissioner Laszlo Kovacs to present the case to him and to get the Commission to take steps about it. In January 2009 Grech made a parliamentary question to the Commission in order to obtain a written answer. In his reply, Commissioner Kovacs said that those consumers who had paid the tax could take their case before the Maltese Courts in order to obtain the remedy they deserve.
Grech then started  working intensively, together with his colleagues in the Labour Party, so that Maltese consumers may obtain a refund of the VAT they have been made to pay in an abusive manner by the Maltese Government. Vehicle registration tax

VAT on other goods

Grech’s work, however, was not limited to local aspects of VAT. He made several interventions about:

  • VAT on insurance and financial services. VAT on insurance and financial services
  • The adjustment of VAT rates on certain goods and services, in which area he  worked with the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association so that tourism may be afforded better flexibility

Environment

Climate Change Fund

One of Louis Grech’s initiatives was about climate change and how the EU can address the problem. Grech proposed that the Union create a specific fund to finance measures on climate change which can cost millions of euro annually, but within the context of an integrated strategy. He proposed that the fund be financed through the Emissions Trading Scheme, under which companies throughout the EU pay charges according to the greenhouse gasses their plants and factories emit. 

climate

 

In spite of a certain initial scepticism, members of the Budget Committee recognised the validity of Grech’s proposal and approved it, as did the Parliament itself in due course. Grech convinced his fellow parliamentarians that, since nobody could control cross-border pollution, the problem needed to be tackled by the EU at a supra-national level.

Although the funds earned under the Emissions Trading Scheme are controlled by national governments, Grech wanted the Commission to study how these funds could be best used in the Union’s interest. It is estimated that the measures which the Union needs to take to address the problem of climate change are likely to cost not less €60bn.

Għadira Road

Louis Grech raised the issue of a new road in Ghadira after various NGOs complained that this project, which forms part of the Trans-European Network, would intrude into a unique rural area that forms part of Foresta 2000.

In Parliament, Grech drew the attention of the European Commission to (1) Directive 92/43/EEC about the Habitat, (2) Directive 79/409/EEC, and (3) Directive 85/337/EEC, and how these apply to the Ghadira project. He insisted that the Commission ensure that a project financed by the Union should comply with all the applicable directives and criteria.
Although the Commission had not yet received a formal complaint, the Commissioner for the Environment Stavros Dimas made it clear that the Commission would convey Mr Grech’s concerns to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, and would insist on a proper evaluation of any significant risks there might be to special areas of conservation. The Commission cautioned the Maltese Government to ensure that any proposal be approved by the Commission.

Waste Treatment
  • Jointly with Dr Joseph Muscat, Louis Grech organised meetings about the project for the Sant’Antnin Recycling Plant with the European Commissioner for the Envrionment, Stavros Dimas.  Dr Muscat and Louis Grech insisted that there should be complete transparency on such projects and that the Commission should make it its job to ensure that no regulations are breached, and for this purpose submitted a detailed dossier on the matter. Waste recycling plant in Marsascala
  • Louis Grech also spoke about the Maltese Government’s proposal to build an incinerator for solid waste at Marsaxlokk, and protested that this would exacerbate the already strained environment in the locality, especially when one considers that the power station was situated there, and that this would have a negative impact on the health of people living close to the proposed facility.
  • He also spoke about the site chosen by the Maltese Government for a waste separation facility in Gozo, and again insisted that, since this project would be partly financed by EU funds, the Europeran Commission should ensure that the environment at Tal-Kus suffers no damage.
  • Grech participated in a number of meetings with officials of the European Parliament and the Commission regarding a new directive on waste management.
  • Presented a Petition in favour of the protection of the natural environment at Ta’ Ċenċ.
market

 

Response to the Economic Crisis

  • As Vice-President of the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee, Louis Grech led a committee that  assumed a crucial role in the context of the economic and financial crisis that gripped the world, including the EU, and that was entrusted to find answers as to how the Union could overcome this crisis.
  • The Committee  had the input of the President of the European Central Bank Jean-Claude Trichet and that of the Commissioner for Monetary Affairs Joaquin Almunia, about an Economic Recovery Plan. The Committee sought to be assured that European funds be shared and  used in a way that favoured the recovery.
  • Louis Grech, together with another MEP, submitted various amendments to the Plan. These addressed the issue of private interests in the work of the regulatory agencies, the way how these agencies could be strengthened to monitor better the financial markets, the assistance that could be given to financial institutions to get rid of “toxic” assets on their balance sheets, and limits on the amount of funds that financial institutions could inject into new financial products.

Others

Other Initiatives

  • Efforts to solve a problem encountered by a Maltese insurance company in the Italian market, favourably resolved for the Maltese party involved.
  • Participation by the PES in the Freshers’ Week at the University of Malta through an Information Stand.
  • Assistance to medicine importers in their complaint about overdue payments by the Maltese Government.
  • The possibility of funds for alternative energy projects.
  • The employment of jurist-linguists in the European Court of Justice.

Opinions

Parliamentary control of Commission’s implementation powers. Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the Commission’s exercise of implementing powers. Proposal

Interventions and Statements

2004-2009

  • Various debates about illegal immigration and the use of funds.
  • Various discussions about the European Budget.
  • Financial assistance to Maltese NGOs.
  • Noise pollution in a particular locality in Malta.
  • The removal of VAT on the car registration tax in Malta. Vehicle registration tax
  • Debate about relations between the EU and the Mediterranean Region.
  • Report on the Directive applicable to port workers.
  • Discussion on the free movement of services provided by on-line companies.
  • Discussion on the solvency of insurance companies.
  • Better functioning of the Library of the Parliament and more effective transmission of information to MEPs.
  • Statements about obesity and physical health. White Paper on Nutrition
  • Regulations about bank transfers.
  • Statements about social justice and poverty. Promoting social inclusion
  • Statements about undeclared work and the exploitation of workers. Stepping up the fight against undeclared work.
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