The majority of the country’s busiest junctions have once again been taken over by large stalls set up by unregulated vendors on the side of the roads and on pavements.
In the run-up to Valentine’s Day, each time for the past several years, motorists have had to deal with disruption on the streets as vehicles park haphazardly while drivers rush to buy small gifts from the stalls.
To make matters worse, the issue has also caused a headache for florists and other gift shops that complain of high losses as the unregulated street vendors take over their sales.
Despite both the dangers drivers face and the lack of proper regulation, the number of stalls selling goods on roadsides continues to increase.
In some busy locations, such as on Żebbuġ’s Mdina Road, two stalls have been set up on one roundabout. On Labour Avenue, in Naxxar, a mobile toilet has also been placed on the pavement next to the stall selling the goods.
But what can the authorities do about it?
In the past, the Malta Chamber of SMEs has lamented that despite its efforts to address the issue and get the authorities to act, a loophole in the way permits and licences are issued led to a deadlock.
While the Economy Ministry was responsible for the trade department, it was the Justice and Local Government Ministry that issued permits to vendors.
As a result, the Economy Ministry had insisted that it should be the Justice Ministry which regulated street vendors and so the chamber had been going back and forth between the two ministries for years.
Chamber CEO Abigail Mamo confirmed to Times of Malta that the issue is yet to be resolved.
“We were hoping that through the implementation of the Open Markets Reform White Paper, the issue would be resolved once and for all through a formal system that encompasses clear legal guidelines and enforcement powers.
“This would ultimately address unfair competition and stop this bad practice of just setting up shop and street selling,” Ms Mamo said.
While the government had started working on implementing the new rules last year, Ms Mamo said that this all came to a halt during the political crisis and with the change in minister.
The CEO said she had written to the new minister outlining the Chamber’s position on the matter in the hope of having the “long-awaited reform”.
“These are all accidents waiting to happen. They [the vendors] find the perfect busy junctions and all they need are stalls occupying roads and pavements and cars stopping to buy.
“We have so many rules and regulations for everything, yet these seem to be graced with a red carpet treatment,” Ms Mamo said.
She also confirmed that shop owners had already expressed concern they would once again be experiencing losses as a result of the rampant abuse.
Questions sent to the government on the matter have remained unanswered.