Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has confirmed he will instruct local councils with a PL majority to help install charging points for electric cars across the country.

“Malta will soon introduce a cut-off date for the importation of petrol and diesel cars and I want Labour councils to be at the forefront of these changes,” Muscat said at a political event yesterday. “When local councils buy cars in the coming legislature, they should only buy electric ones, thereby ensuring that their fleets will be among the first in Malta that are fully electric.”

“They will also help the central government install charging points for electric cars across the country.”

Muscat wants Malta to become of the first countries in Europe to fully transition to electric cars, but such vehicles require drivers to park and charge, and the island’s parking problems are notorious

While the Prime Minister didn’t link his electric car vision with the parking problem per se, he did confirm plans are in the pipeline to build several underground carparks across Malta.

“The government will identify a substantial number of zones for underground carparks that will operate as private public partnerships,” he said. “These underground carparks will have gardens and open spaces above them.”

Moreover, he said the smart parking system currently in place in Ħal Qormi will be extended to other locations to allow drivers to know exactly how many parking spaces are available in particular streets.

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Tim Diacono

Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]