The Maltese Parliament approved the law on equality in marriage, by which gay couples now have the right to marry.

The smallest state of the European Union became the 15th country within the EU to endorse the law on same-sex marriage; just three years after the Maltese Parliament had already approved the law on civil union. There are only 25 countries in the world whose citizens enjoy the right of such a law.

This means that the institution of marriage is now fully gender neutral to ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, and genderqueer (LGBTIQ) persons are free to contract a marriage with their loved ones, be they of the same or a different sex, and also to parent children without having unnecessary references to their gender or biological make-up on their children’s birth certificates.

It also means that all discrepancies between husband and wife have now been removed. For example, both are now free to adopt or take on their partner’s surname without distinction. Their siblings would then take on the family surname that the couple chooses on their marriage day.

During the process towards the adoption of the Bill, a lot of the discussion centred on whether it was necessary to convert civil marriage to a fully gender neutral institution. Government insisted that this was necessary in order to respect the anti-discrimination provisions in the country’s Constitution adopted in 2014 relative to sexual orientation and gender identity.

Additionally, Government indicated that both the Civil Unions Act, and the Cohabitation Act adopted in 2014 and 2016 respectively are both gender neutral, and that marriage should not be an exception. 

The law on equality in marriage was not unanimously approved as one of the opposition Nationalist MP made a statement before the vote that he would vote against the law. The controversy arose due to the fact that the wording in the law entirely removed the terminology ‘father’ and ‘mother’ and instead refers to parents or spouse.

Members of the Opposition Nationalist Party and a number of non-governmental organizations that endorse conservative beliefs criticized the use of this new terminology. They described it as an attack on the traditional family values and pointed out that this law will give access to other polemic issues such as the freezing of embryos and surrogacy.

While all parliamentary deputies representing the Labour Government and the two MPs of the Democratic Party in Opposition voted in favour of this law during all its stages, at least seven members of the main opposing party led by Simon Busuttil were in disagreement. However, at the final stage of the voting only one member of the Nationalist Party, Edwin Vassallo a fervent practicing Catholic retained his position and went against the Nationalist Parliamentary Group by voting against the law. He declared that although he understands that there must be a distinction between the State and the Church, his conscience does not allow him to vote in favour of a law that he considers ‘immoral’.

Both in Parliament and in his address to the LGBTIQ community in front of his office in Castille Square, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat described this vote a ‘historic moment’ that demonstrates how the Maltese society has reached great levels of maturity where anyone can now declare that ‘we are all equal’.

The façade of the office of the Prime Minister, the majestic Auberge de Castille was lit with the rainbow colours synonymous of the LGBTIQ community during a celebration of dance and music.

During these celebrations, the Nationalist Party was represented by the Deputy Leader for Parliamentary Affairs Mario de Marco as well as a number of other deputies including two parliamentarians who have openly declared their sexual orientation and form part of the LGBTIQ community.

The Nationalist Party described the vote as a step towards equality in Maltese society, with the Leader of the Party Simon Busuttil thanking those parliamentarians who remained loyal to the position of the Party that had promised marriage between same-sex couples in its electoral manifesto leading to last month’s general election.

The law on equality in marriage was also promised by the Labour Party prior to the general election in early June with the Prime Minister Joseph Muscat stating that this would be the very first law to be passed in Parliament during his second term in office.

(ITALPRESS/MNA).

Source: medNews

The second stage of the Kinder+ Sport tournament hosted last weekend by the Malta Tennis Federation at the Pembroke Rackets Club with the support of Kinder Ferrero was a roaring success. Fun activities and games were the order of the day at the blue-coloured tennis courts in Pembroke as the mentors of the tournament emphasized the values of fair play and sportsmanship. After the successful tournament last June at the Marsa Sports Club, the organisers provided another tennis platform with easy access for all children in Malta, communicating the concept of a ‘Joy of Moving’. The tournament saw over 30 participants placed according to their age, which ranged between U10 categories to U16. These matches were unique as they were played without umpires with the kids themselves deciding the points, all done in a culture of healthy competition and fair play. A number of young boys and girls will now represent Malta in the International Masters in Rome between the 20th and 25th August. Young players from nine countries (Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Israel, Luxembourg, Monaco, Hungary and Malta will compete in Rome to determine the overall winners. The finals of all categories in the Pembroke tournament were as follows:
Boys U10
Winner: D Pullicino – Runner Up: Z Zammit
Boys U11
Winner: J Bonello – Runner Up: L Bianco
Boys U12
Winner: F Hollingsworth – Runner Up: S Palma
Boys U13
Winner: L Meschini – Runner Up: L Gabaretta
Boys U14
Winner: M Grixti – Runner Up: M Critien
Boys U15/16
Winner: L Delicata – Runner Up: S Baldacchino
Girls U10
Winner: K Borg – Runner Up: S Grech
Girls U11
Winner: J Dimech – Runner Up: K Borg
Girls U12
Winner: J Dimech – Runner Up: E Buhagiar
Girls U13/14
Winner: E Mallia – Runner Up: E Buhagiar
Girls U15/16
Winner: K Dimech – Runner Up: E Mallia
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

The European Union, on immigration, “has failed”. Joseph Muscat, Prime Minister of Malta, country that had the rotating presidency of the EU Council until June 30th, said this in his presentation of the political results obtained during the semester.

Speaking in the European Parliament’s House, Muscat admitted that “there are issues, such as immigration, on which divisions remain” and that it has not been possible to do any step ahead in the course of these six months. “Despite all the good intentions we all claim to have, even with written statements, when we look at the reality of the facts we should be ashamed,” Muscat attacked. Delays, injections, quarrels. “This Europe has failed on this issue,” the Maltese prime minister pointed out. His goal was to allow by June 30 a review of the agreements governing the common asylum system. Given the circumstances, “no one should blame the other Member States if everyone will try to protect their national interests”.

(ITALPRESS/MNA).

Source: medNews

Exports from 2012 to 2016 recorded an average growth of 4.6%, followed by a 7.2% growth in export businesses, equal to 2740 companies at the end of 2016 (from 2029 in 2012). Growth was mainly recorded in 2016, an increase of 9.3% over the previous year.

According to “ScanTv”, industry continues to have the largest part in exports with 84.5% of the total. This sector includes activities in the mining, processing, electricity and water industries and grew by 3.1%.

The processing industry’s products have the highest percentage (80.4%). In particular, textile products, leather and metal working. The rest of the exports are covered by mining products (15.1%), electricity (4%) and agricultural products (0.7%).

Imports also showed a slight growth (1.4%) and the number of importing companies increased by 6.2%. Trade enterprises account for 54.4% of the total.

In the processing industry, which accounts for 31.9% of imports, 15.4% is foodstuffs, followed by 17.2% by coke coal and products derived from oil.

(ITALPRESS/MNA).

Source: medNews

On the occasion of the first Italo-Libyan Economic Forum held in Agrigento, Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano and Vice President of the Libyan National Presidential Council of the Libyan National Accord Government, Ahmed Maitig, signed a joint statement on the revival of economic cooperation between Italian and Libyan governments.

The declaration confirms “the common will to strengthen friendship and cooperation in areas of economic and social development and, in particular, to support Libya’s reconstruction efforts”. It reaffirms “the willingness to promote further economic and trade cooperation between public and private actors”. It also underlines the importance of Libya’s economic development and the increasing capacity of the Libyan institutions to provide adequate services and to increase their level of well-being.

The parties underline that “bilateral economic cooperation must be focused on strategic sectors such as energy and hydrocarbons, infrastructure and transport, telecommunications, banking and finance and private sector development”.

Italy and Libya reaffirm “the desire to continue cooperation in the field of airport infrastructure, their maintenance and cooperation in the field of air transport, given the importance of restoring air links throughout Libya as well as flights Directing with Italy to contribute to the revival of the economic system”.

The two sides also welcomed the “reactivation of the Italian-Libyan Commission on the continuation of the implementation of the Libyan Coastal Motorway project in accordance with the 2008 Friendship Treaty”.

Finally, Italy and Libya agree on “the importance of fostering the development of communications links through the reconstruction of Libyan telecommunications networks, the laying of new cables and the upgrading of the existing ones, benefiting from the presence of an important hub ‘In Sicily as the hub of Mediterranean Internet traffic’.

 

(ITALPRESS/MNA).

Source: medNews

“We must admit that there are great problems with immigration, which is due to a shortage of solidarity among our nations. If the 28 countries had total solidarity with each other, we will solve this problem”. The President of the Republic of Malta, Marie-Luise Coleiro Preca, said at the Women’s Forum Rome 2017. “The Mediterranean countries were the first to be affected by the phenomenon of immigration. We all have to try to understand why people abandon their country risks life – he says – we must understand that most migrants crossing the sea do so for safety, travel to save their lives because their regions are plagued by wars, many flee from poverty, many from persecution “.

(ITALPRESS/MNA).

Source: medNews

Terminal 1 of the Tel Aviv International Airport, David Ben Gurion, reopened its doors last Monday. The economic newspaper Globes reports the news.

The airport will serve only low-cost international airlines and security and control services will all be carried out at the new facility; passengers will no longer go at Terminal 3 as in the past.

Estimated annual traffic is 1.4 million passengers with 33 scheduled daily flights.

The old terminal, called Wilhelma Airport or Terminal 1 because when it was built, in 1937, it was actually the only international arrival airport to visit Jerusalem, was restored after the founding of the State of Israel and decorated with images of Ben Gurion and Menachem Begin.

Today, modernized, it is equipped with a sophisticated luggage control system, costing 60 million shekels (about 15 million euros) and a larger and better control area for hand luggage.

Among the companies that will use the new facility, there are 3 Israeli airlines (Up – low cost of El Al -, Arkia and Israir). Easyjet (the leading carrier in Israel) will have a big share with Ryanair, Wizzair, Pegasus and others.

According to Ben Gurion’s General Manager, the traffic of the first Israeli airport has tripled over the past three years mainly due to the Open Skies Agreement (which was also the base of the increase in the duty free shop business volume, with the revenue of which the restructuring of the Terminal was funded).

Whele in 2009 transit passengers amounted to 9 million,for 2018 a total volume of 20 million passengers is estimated.

(ITALPRESS/MNA).

Source: medNews

“I thank the European Union, which supports the legitimacy of our Council. This is a support to security”. Fayez Mustafa Al Sarraj, President of the Presidential Council and Prime Minister of the Government of the Libyan National Accord, said in his speech at the opening session of the High Level Conference on Migration Management in Brussels, which took place in the European Parliament.

“The issue of migration flows can not be addressed solely on the security level, it is necessary to support the countries of origin but also transit. I thank very much the Italian government and also the German government who are helping us with projects to support economic development, Al Sarraj said.

“Libya is a transit country, but it does not have the means to handle migratory flows, especially in the healthcare sector,” he said, explaining that the country’s situation is still “very vulnerable, especially in the South. The agreement with Italy on the control of migrants will be fundamental”.

(ITALPRESS/MNA).

Source: medNews

A fast-track bus project (BRT – Bus Rapid Transit) between Beirut and Tabarja, financed by the World Bank, is slowly moving through Parliament. The implementation of a 24-mile long road linking Charles Helou station was approved on June 9 by the Parliamentary Committee on Public Works, Transport and Water, but implementation time may still be long. “The project must be approved by the Council of Ministers and then by Parliament in plenary session before being run by the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR), which will be responsible for managing the contract,” the chairman of the committee Parliamentarian, MP Mohamed Kabbani, explained. This project is in the drawer since 2015, when the World Bank began discussions with the Lebanese government on a loan worth a total of 250 million to develop public transport. This amount will allow to build a fast lane for buses in the middle of the Beirut – Tabarja highway, with stops and pedestrian bridges every kilometer to allow passengers to access buses and parking lots. Part of the sum, estimated to range between $ 65 and $ 70 million, is supposed to be devoted to the development of a Greater Beirut bus network, with the purchase of new vehicles and the construction of new bus stops. 

This project should be examined separately in committee over the next few weeks. “The funding will be published by the World Bank after Parliament’s vote around January or February 2018”, according to transport specialist Ziad Nakat. But until then, the government must plan the future of the current transport system based on many private operators. “Obviously we have to take into account the reality of the current public transport system, but we must also think about the future and the need to provide quality service to citizens,” he concluded.

(ITALPRESS/MNA).

Source: medNews

The European Energy Secretariat Forum was recently held in Athens, during which Greece, Albania, Montenegro, Serbia and Italy agreed to be part of the pilot projects that will enable the creation of the regional common energy market.

The European Energy Secretariat has called on the Balkan countries to intensify their efforts to align the legal base, including the process of quality of service and tariff setting for distribution system operators.

(ITALPRESS/MNA).

Source: medNews