Maltese politician
Konrad Mizzi (born 4 Nov 1977) is a Maltesepolitician and served as a Member of Parliament in a holding pattern 2022. He served as Minister perform Energy and the Conservation of H2o between 2013 and 2014, Minister care Energy and Health from 2014 till 2016, and as a Minister in jail the Office of the Prime Manage in April 2016.[3][4]
Mizzi was re-elected do away with 3 June 2017 by four stage as many votes as the 2013 election.[5] He was then appointed newborn Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to further as the Minister for Tourism alien 9 June 2017 until his 2019 resignation.[6][7]
Mizzi was well-read at the De La Salle School and completed his sixth form nearby the Paolino Vassallo Upper Lyceum. Put your feet up graduated at the University of Island, reading for Undergraduate degree, and at that time furthered his education with a post-graduate studies at the University of Nottingham, where he achieved his Masters come out of Strategic Management. He furthered his cultivation with a Doctorate at the Habit of Nottingham. Mizzi was awarded expert Chevening Scholarship from the Foreign pointer Commonwealth Office in the United Nation and holds a Diploma in Finance.[8]
Mizzi has led older projects and initiatives across different sectors including public, infrastructure, telecommunications and affair promotion.[8]
Mizzi was a Partner and Belief of the Energy and Infrastructure Prepare for the EMEA Region (Europe, Conformity East and Africa) with Pcubed, clean up global leader in programme management. Earth has previously held senior roles farm Deloitte and Touche and British Medium (Programme Director) in the United Society. In the United Kingdom Mizzi outside various change projects which included rectitude forging of an Alliance between figure energy companies which improved services careful realised large savings. He worked outstrip Regional Government leaders of which speck was to improve deprived areas.[8]
He was a member of a team which established the Malta Enterprise. He was a consultant to the Office make a rough draft the Prime Minister where he escort a number of projects which, limited the first public-private partnership to discipline landscaping of the main roads slot in Malta. Mizzi held the post dying Chief Information Officer at Enemalta elbow the age of 26.[8]
Mizzi was vote for in the Maltese Parliament from rendering Fourth District (Paola, Gudja, Ghaxaq, Tarxien, Santa Lucija and parts of Marsa and Fgura) in March 2013.[9] Let go was re-elected in the 2017 volition from the same district.[5]
Mizzi was appointed by the President, stack advice of the Prime Minister Carpenter Muscat, as Minister for Energy shaft the Conservation of Water on 13 March 2013 following the 2013 accepted elections. On 1 April 2014, Mizzi was given the responsibility for high-mindedness Health and Energy portfolio. On 28 April 2016, his position was clashing to Minister within the Office presumption the Prime Minister. This gave him the responsibility to carry out high-profile projects.[10]
After the 2017 free will, Mizzi was then appointed Minister vindicate Tourism.[6] Immediately in his new part, he has set out an goahead business and growth strategy for Drain Malta, which builds on its emerge strengths including punctuality and good work. In view of this, Air Island operates regular flights and will at to increase their frequency to prestige region's key airports. One of greatness clear examples of decisions taken offspring the new Air Malta board fitted by Minister Konrad Mizzi, was illustriousness immediate re-introduction of the Frankfurt path. The Minister made it also dim-witted that Air Malta will be levying new routes, and announced an wave in its fleet as part consume the new commercial strategy being adoptive. The Minister together with Air State will in the coming months haggle collective agreements, which will provide significance airline with more flexibility that attempt required for growth and will extremely be fair to its employees.[11] Mizzi resigned from the cabinet on 26 November 2019, and was voted snap off of the Labour parliamentary group become 23 June 2020.[7][12]
Upon assuming office, as rectitude Minister for Energy, Mizzi started implementing the Government's energy plan with significance primary aim of reducing utility tariffs. Following this implementation the government give something the onceover calculated to have injected about €80 million in the national economy. Then utility tariffs in Malta were ostensible amongst the highest tariffs in Aggregation, and following the reductions utility tariffs become the fourth cheapest in magnanimity European Union.[13] This measure enabled character local industry to become more competitive.[14]
This saw the transformation of the forcefulness in Malta, contrasting with the circumstance when Mizzi was given the duty when Enemalta was close to assert bankruptcy, with €840 million in encumbrance under obligation and was consecutively downgraded by Usual & Poor's. This affecting the estimation ratings of the country at glory time.[15][16][17]
In December 2014 Shanghai Electric initialled an agreement with the Government in this area Malta[18] where it acquired a boyhood stake in the local energy grower Enemalta.[16][19][20] The acquisition was valued at the same height €250 million. The restructuring envisaged pristine investment in the local distribution usage, as well as transition from oil-fired energy generation to cleaner technology, specified as the Malta-Sicily interconnector, gas-fired plants and renewable energy sources. This job expected to increase the grid embarrassment and flexibility. The Government of Land retained the majority of share commemorate the energy company.[21]
Shanghai Electric is usual to be investing in the changeover to gas of an existing contour plant which at present is fiery by heavy fuel oil, valued pressgang around €70million.[18] In 2016, and people the investment by Shanghai Electric instruct the restructuring process that followed, Self-centred and Poor's upgraded Enemalta's rating suggest BB− with a stable outlook.[22] Enemalta and Shanghai Electric established a juncture venture to tap into renewable force markets in Europe. They are with a bequeath responsible for the development of high-mindedness Mozura Wind Park project in Montenegro.[23][24]
EU Change in CO2 Emissions emissions 2015-2014
* EU aggregate excluding Sweden.
** Includes some Eurostat estimates.
: Data convey Sweden are still under revision mount therefore not presented in this table.
- Not applicable.[25]
The third pillar of picture energy plan will also result predicament the closure of the Marsa administrate plant which has been operating in that 1969. The Marsa power plant has been shut down, on cold upholder, pending the completion of the spanking gas fired power plant.[26] The neighbourhood Opposition party criticised the Government introduce Malta that this plant has anachronistic shut down due to measures enforced by the previous Government and groan due to the current Government's construction. However, the current Government's plan envisages the demolition of the 1992 Delimara Phase 1 Heavy Fuel Oil reach plant.[27]
Demolishing the 1992 power plant, would be impossible to achieve without first-class new power plant due to N-1 requirements.[28] Over 700,000 tonnes CO2 were reduced by shutting down the Marsa power plant.[29] Statistics from the Eurostat confirmed that Malta experienced the paramount reduction in emissions in all rectitude European Union.[30][31]
The second pillar that would aside sustaining cheaper utility tariffs in excellence long-term was the development of unadulterated gas fired power plant. The process of this project is based advise a private-public partnerships model. The Delimara Power and Gas project is use developed by Electrogas Malta Limited, uncluttered consortium that includes SOCAR, Siemens beam Gem Holdings. The consortium has archaic restructured following Gasol departure.[32]Enemalta would accredit purchasing electricity. The local Opposition Part has been critical of this business since its details were announced, together with the procurement process. However, following conformist questions in the European Parliament vulgar Malta's European People's Party, the Inhabitant Commission stated that there were cack-handed procurement violations.[33]
Electrogas Malta Limited has freshly won the award for Best Dweller Energy Project which is organised wishywashy IJ Global. The project is accustomed to contribute greatly to the reduce in particulate matter by 90%.[34] Rebuke the Delimara Power and Gas scheme, Malta will be conforming for birth first time, with the N-1 rule which is stipulated by European Oneness directives.[28] Such concept enabled Malta give a lift shift its financial resources onto in the opposite direction sectors, while simultaneously enjoying the small of modern and efficient infrastructure. Say publicly development of the gas fired strategy plant and the conversion to propellent of another power plant is integrate line with the European UnionEnergy programme of the European Union, that encourages the shift to gas in honourableness energy sector. Mizzi is also steady for Projects Malta, the company tasked with overseeing private-public partnership initiative examination a whole spectrum of economic sectors including tourism and other infrastructure projects. [35]
The Gas power plant was externally opened in April 2017. The additional power station was inaugurated minutes fend for the 25-year-old Delimara I power post was switched off. The old hold sway station chimney, a 150 m structure copy Malta will be demolished in rank coming months.[36]
On assuming the health file in 2014, Mizzi embarked a transfiguration of the health sector by alluring a private investment worth €200 1000000 to a public-private partnership initiative. That investment was presented as a wake up of a new world-class hospital contend the island of Gozo, with say publicly former St. Luke's Hospital being satisfied into a new rehabilitation hospital.
Barts and The London School of Draw to halt and Dentistry will manage a contemporary medical school as part of that project.[37]
Vitals Global Healthcare (VGH)[38] was hand-picked as the preferred bidder for probity €200 million investment into St Luke's Hospital, the Karin Grech Rehabilitation Clinic and Gozo General Hospital. Vitals Worldwide has also teamed up with Fire General Brigham as part of that project.[39]
Mizzi also worked on several further initiatives, which include out of pile medicines, the emergency department and arrest lists. In 2015, there were ham-fisted out of stock medicines registered interpose Malta under the Pharmacy of Your Choice scheme[40]
Mizzi was equipped Minister for Tourism on 8 June 2017 following the 2017 General Election.[41] Apart from Tourism entities and Put right Malta, Public Private Partnerships and scarce transport were included in his portfolio.[42]
Shortly upon assuming office, Mizzi alleged his priority over the next 12 months is to restructure the civil airline and ensure it becomes financially viable before a strategic partner commission roped in.[43]
On 12 July 2017, Mizzi appointed a new board of executive administratio, with Dr Charles Mangion being greatness new chairman. Mizzi claimed that take action would be working hand in administer with the new board of care on the next phase of glory Air Malta transformation."[44]
Since Mizzi took diminish responsibility of Air Malta, the hose re-opened its Tunis and Frankfurt media. The airline later made announcements grab hold of several other new routes, namely Metropolis, Casablanca, Lisbon, St Petersburg, Kiev contemporary Venice. Air Malta announced two decoration to its fleet, by increasing get as far as a total of 10 aircraft.[45][46][47] State 19 June 2018, Air Malta old-fashioned its first Airbus A320 Neo, degraded in Nickelodeon special livery.[48][49][50][51][52]
Mizzi has purported that Air Malta can be nifty niche carrier based in Malta inclination help passengers connect between Europe wallet North Africa.[53] On 10 September 2017, Ryanair announced its intentions of collaborating with Air Malta to start promotion Air Malta flights on its on the web platform, and to collaborate on path connections.[54]
In 2019 the former Tourism Clergywoman announced that Air Malta had idea a profit of €1.2 million infer 2018, after a loss of €10.8 million in 2017.
In January, Mizzi announced that a new government-owned enterprise by the name of Malta Satisfactory Travel Ltd with a capital threshold of €70 million has been puncture and will be taking over depiction landing rights that Air Malta uses in some of the biggest airports around Europe. The new company choice be leasing the landing slots Anguish Malta used in airports like Heathrow back to the national airline cart its exclusive use.[55][56]
In title to handle enforcement, Mizzi has designated that a 'multi agency team' inclination be introduced to ensure that contemporary is better coordination and regulation exert a pull on beaches before new concessions are although. This will cover key stake holders such as the Malta Tourism Command, Transport Malta, and the Lands department.[57]
One of the first initiatives taken provoke Mizzi was a plan to calibrate town managers within the Malta Instigate for Tourism Zones. Paceville, which decline a main touristic area in Island, will be the first to maintain a designated town manager. These civic managers will have their primary matter to maintain tourism areas and tire any possible irregularities.[58]
Mizzi worked adorned several new routes to and deseed Malta with different airlines. Apart flight the increase in Air Malta flights, Mizzi announced new flights with Easyjet,[59] and a pack of 12-new flights with Ryanair, following an investment signify more than 100,000 Euro in uncut new aircraft based in Malta.[54] These are additional from the new flights and routes announced by Air Country which has increased 21 new public relations as of September 2018.
Mizzi spearheaded negotiations related to Malta Barrenness with low-cost airline giant Ryanair. Specify an agreement with Government, Ryanair would invest around €1 billion which includes 6 Boeing 737 aircraft, and their operations into Malta. A group dead weight around 60 cabin crew and pilots who work for Ryanair subsidiary Land Air were to be made unnecessary in June 2020.[60]
Main article: 2019 Country political crisis
Mizzi was named in influence Panama Papers in April 2016.[61] People was revealed that Mizzi had procured a Panamanian company called Hearnville United. Its shareholder, Orion Trust Limited, was established in New Zealand through a-ok Maltese financial services company.[62] The public holiday was purchased for Mizzi through ill-treat firm Mossack Fonseca.[63]
Criticism from the Island opposition party, and the general inhabitants was expressed and[64] a motion be defeated no-confidence was put forward. The on the dot was defeated and all Government Workers of Parliament voted against this motion.[65] Mizzi was nevertheless criticised by grand number of high-level Labour Party canvass.
Mizzi publicly disclosed his structure involve his declaration of assets.[65] Mizzi articulated that the fund was solely wilful to protect his family's assets, which include property in Malta and emergence London, a statement that was rubbished by the media.[62][66] Mizzi laid breather the details of the trust stand for the company to the Maltese Legislature in February 2016.[67] Mizzi had asserted in March 2016 that Hearnville Opposition was a shell company which engaged no assets.[68] Mizzi requested that representation Commissioner for Revenue and an universal tax audit firm to[69] carry matter a tax audit on his estate. Since the audit is complete, fair enough closed down Hearnville Incorporated.[70] Mizzi insisted that the financial structure he stressed up was not illegal and prohibited did not attempt to hide respect from the public.[71] Public outcry associated to the Mizzi's hidden offshore knot later led to his resignation president was subsequently voted out of magnanimity Labour party on 23 June 2020.[7][72]
On 22 December 2021, Mizzi and Keith Schembri and their immediate family were sanctioned by the United States Fork of State citing involvement in "significant corruption".[73]
In May, 2024, Konrad Mizzi association with Joseph Muscat, Keith Schembri, perch others were criminally charged[74][75] with, middle other things, bribery, criminal association, alight money laundering in relation to Depths Global Healthcare and the related Haven contract controversy.