The Gozo Business Chamber believes Gozo’s regional autonomy should be included in the constitution.

During an event celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Gozo Business Chamber, chamber president Michael Galea spoke in favour of giving Gozo more autonomy.

“For Gozo to succeed and be competitive there is the need for more autonomy,” Galea said.

He said that granting Gozo regional autonomy would help prioritise the needs of the Gozitan community.

His sentiments echo those of Labour MP and former Gozo minister Anton Refalo who said the island should be given “special regional status” in the constitution.

Prior to this, Nationalist Gozitan MP Chris Said suggested that the powers of the Gozo ministry should be devolved to an elected council enjoying executive powers.

Chamber CEO Daniel Borg noted there seems to be a general agreement across the political spectrum on the aspect of regionality, however, people cannot seem to agree on the way regionality should be implemented.

Moving forward, Borg stressed the importance of a political dialogue that puts aside political agendas but only focuses on the benefits of the Gozo community.

Currently, Borg said that the chamber is being run as an NGO which has created challenges and uncertainties.

“Our vision is to see the chamber progress from a non-governmental entity to a legally recognised institution that also ensures its independence,” Borg said.

Borg added that, eventually, he would also like the chamber to have its own seat on the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD).

Galea called for the modernisation of the port and its facilities for better connectivity between Malta and Gozo.

“The Gozo Channel is the lifeline of Gozo. If it stops working, even for a small amount of time, there is chaos in Gozo,” Galea said.

The fleet of ferries should be increased to five and replaced with something more modern, Galea added.

He further called for a new hospital in Gozo to keep up with the high demand as more people are moving to Gozo.