Gozo Business Chamber opposed to tunnel referendum proposed by PN

Gozo’s main business lobby group has come out against a Nationalist Party proposal for a referendum to determine whether a Gozo-Malta tunnel should be built.

The feasibility of the Gozo-Malta tunnel should be determined through technical studies and not a referendum, the Gozo Business Chamber said.

It was reacting to a proposal floated by PN leader Bernard Grech on Sunday for a referendum among Gozitans once all studies are concluded.

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“Given the studies that have already been undertaken on the project, the publication of a pre-qualification questionnaire, and the submissions made, calling into question this project at this stage through a referendum would not be appropriate. Such a step should have been undertaken when this project was initially included in the national policy agenda,” the GBC said.

The Chamber said the tunnel was an important long-term project had to be carried out over multiple legislatures. The GBC said that it had been approved in Parliament, and agreed upon by both sides of the House. In April last year, a motion put forward by the government in favour of a tunnel project received bipartisan support and PN MP Chris Said had said the Opposition was “wholeheartedly” behind the project.

However, despite last year’s vote, the PN’s position on the tunnel project has remained ambiguous.

“Tinkering with such an important long-term project which has multiple benefits for the Gozitan society and economy is not acceptable. This would put back to the drawing board an important project which has been in the pipeline for many years,” the Chamber said.

The GBC reiterated that a permanent link between Malta and Gozo would level out the “inequalities between the Gozitan and Maltese economies.” The Chamber said it would make living in Gozo a choice which is not constrained by the present physical limitations, whereby youth who want to settle in Gozo can do so freely.

“From an economic perspective it would mean that the present limitations linked to insularity would no longer be the case,” the Chamber said.