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Matthew Vella
Labour MEP John Attard Montalto has once again departed on holiday as the crucial vote on the Port Services Directive took place in the European Parliament’s transport and tourism committee last Tuesday.
Attard Montalto is a substitute member in the committee he has famously dubbed “a waste of time 80 per cent of the time.”
But representatives from the General Workers Union were busy lobbying for support against the Port Services Directive on Monday and Tuesday this week, protesting alongside hundreds of dockers outside the Commission’s Berlaymont building in Brussels.
Attard Montalto’s absence from the transport committee follows on a pattern of truancy for the MEP: his attendance rate in the European Parliament is the lowest of all Maltese MEPs. In his first term he attended just three out of 16 meetings for the transport committee.
The 52-year-old MEP also registered a dismal attendance for his main committee – the industry, research and energy committee – with just four out of 34 meetings in his first term, and attending just one out of 11 meetings in the human rights subcommittee.
After spending his first two months of his first term in 2004 on a honeymoon cruise, he has now shipped off for yet another cruise, this newspaper is informed.
Attard Montalto had claimed the transport and tourism committee was “ill-chosen for Malta” because it discussed issues concerning “railways, canals and road transport which do not concern Malta” and that it was “a waste of time 80 per cent of the time.”
GWU delegates were present in Brussels for the vote which left the Port Services Directive hanging after an amended version of the Commission proposal was defeated by 24 votes against to 23 in favour.
The transport committee was unable to reach a decision on the new directive when a compromise seeking to approve the directive was also defeated by 26 votes to 23, with one abstention.
Supporters of greater liberalisation of port services say there is there is a need for greater competition to promote growth. But opponents and unions say the directive risks creating massive job losses and deteriorating working conditions.
A key compromise in the defeated report that was drawn up by German MEP Georg Jarzembowski (EPP-ED) was to exempt pilotage services from liberalisation. Across Europe, port services are mostly in private hands, but controlled by monopoly companies. The new directive would require public procurement for all new businesses entering the market, with tenders proceeding under regular competition rules.
A legislative resolution was adopted to leave the Commission’s proposal unchanged and let MEPs decide on the report at the plenary session in January 2006.
mvella@mediatoday.com.mt
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