How to save Europes shipyards ?
The columnist Joe Vella Bonnici considers the state of Maltese shipyards in the light of the current crisis in Poland’s Gdansk shipyard which the EU wishes to trim down, in the absence of a plan justifying previous EU funds. “The government’s accession agreement with the EU envisages that it prepares yearly progress reports on the situation at the local yards. These should be made public. And just as our main political parties took a common stand on immigration, they should do the same with regard to the shipyards. It is possible to ask the EU to extend further state aid provided that exceptional and unpredictable circumstances exist. The loss of over 1,700 jobs is at stake and this at a time when our economy can ill-afford any more losses. (…) They continue to be a primary cradle of skills and an important element in the local industrial chain.
