Gozo ferry 'was and will remain government-run', minister tells parliament
The ferry service between Mġarr, Gozo and Ċirkewwa “was and will remain government-run” Gozo Minister Clint Cammilleri told parliament on Tuesday. If the European Commission forces a tendering process to determine who runs the ferry crossing, the government will ensure that it will continue running the service, the minister said. Camilleri did not elaborate on that plan. Times of Malta has reported that pressure from the European Commission is leading the government to consider roping in the private sector to run the Gozo ferry service between Ċirkewwa and Mġarr. The government runs the service using state-owned Gozo Channel Company Ltd through a public service obligation contract, allowing it to subsidise the essential service without breaching EU state aid rules. The PSO contract, however, expired in October 2017. Instead of issuing a call for bids to identify a company that will run the service, the government has been extending its contract with Gozo Channel annually. This has led to irritation in Brussels at what appear to be breaches of EU competition law and prompted speculation about the ferry service eventually becoming privatised. However, Camilleri assured...