Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen;
I would like to, first and foremost, take this
opportunity to congratulate the Slovak Chairmanship of the Mediterranean
Contact Group for its excellent work. We are aware of the importance that the
Chairmanship attributes to the relationship between the OSCE and the
Mediterranean.
I also wish to thank our Spanish colleagues for
hosting this important annual event, while also expressing Malta’s gratitude to
the Italian Chair-in-Office for its role in steering the OSCE the past year, as
well as for its efforts in addressing the concerns of the Mediterranean.
As many are aware, Malta has for a long time
advocated for the inclusion of the Euro-Mediterranean dimension in debates
within the OSCE, in view of the several common security issues involved. As
enshrined in the 1975 Helsinki Final Act and in the Astana Declaration,
security in Europe is interlinked with security in the Mediterranean.
Energy security is an important facet of
overall security in the Mediterranean region, as well as a prerequisite for
economic growth and development. The OSCE has a key
role to play in supporting regional co-operation in this field. In this
respect, ‘connectivity’ is a valued concept for being conducive to growth and
stability, and for presenting opportunities for closer relations between States.
Increased connectivity underpins growth in productivity and output.
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen;
Over the past few years, Malta has put in motion
a strong plan which mirrors three important pillars of the Energy Union
strategy, namely: sustainability, security of supply, and affordability.
This strategy has helped us move away from the
use of heavy fuel oil for power generation, towards the use of LNG in gas-fired
power plants. Because of this approach, our households and businesses are
benefitting from competitive electricity rates, while customers are provided
with enhanced security of supply.
Malta now has one of the lowest residential
electricity prices in the European Union: 12.5 euros per
100 kilowatt-hours. This has, in turn, injected millions of euros into the
national economy.
We are adopting a diversified energy mix,
based on two gas-fired plants, an interconnector that links us to the European
network, grid-connected renewable energy sources (mainly through photovoltaics),
and an adequate level of emergency capacity through gasoil-fired plants.
We are also in the process of transiting from
operating an isolated energy system. In 2015, we connected our electricity
network to the European grid via Sicily. Meanwhile, a gas pipeline
interconnection project between Malta and Italy will eliminate our isolation
from the trans-European gas network and deliver natural gas more efficiently
through a pipeline that is scheduled to be commissioned by 2024. These projects
represent positive examples of regional cooperation in the Mediterranean in
energy generation and sharing.
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen;
Malta welcomes the political will among us,
gathered here today, to promote energy and interconnectivity as a means of
cultivating economic development and unity in the Mediterranean, in a mutually
beneficial way.
My Government is open to any opportunity to explore further
possibilities of future cooperation between partners from the Northern,
Southern, and Eastern shores of the Mediterranean in this regard.
Thank you.