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The Resources Ministry is awaiting the audit report commissioned by the Malta Resources Authority before taking any position in front of the European Commission with regard to the water and electricity surcharge complaint filed by GRTU.
Reacting to an EU commission statement saying that it was giving the “fullest attention” to the GRTU’s complaint filed at the end of last year, a spokesman for minister Ninu Zammit just said government was “still awaiting the audit report commissioned by MRA” into the Enemalta surcharge.
The European Commissioner informed GRTU that its complaints are receiving the Commission’s fullest attention after it was registered as an official complaint against the government of Malta.
Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs said the GRTU complaint “raises issues requiring a detailed investigation and that the government of Malta has been given one month within which to reply”.
In its complaint, GRTU had charged Enemalta with not being transparent on its fuel purchasing policies, and the Maltese government with supporting a tariff policy of cross-subsidisation on electricity and fuels to the detriment of small and medium enterprise.
“GRTU contends that any decisions by the Maltese authorities that do not fully respect EU Directives on electricity, energy and transport in relation to the use of energy supplies by commerce and industry as well as households will cause serious economic and commercial harm to SMEs represented by GRTU,” the complaint letter said.
In its letter to the EU energy commissioner Andris Piebalgs and to the Transport commissioner for transport Jacques Barrot, GRTU wrote: “GRTU deeply regrets that the Maltese Regulatory Authority (Malta Resources Authority) appears to have abdicated its responsibilities under EU Directive 2003/54/EC.”
GRTU called on the EU to issue a “cease and desist order” on the government “against the imposition of new electricity tariffs and any other energy charges prior to the full implementation of … EU directives”.
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