COP19 (22/11/13) –Leo Brincat the Minister of Environment for Malta says that he is cautiously optimistic about the progress being made in Warsaw.

He speaks about Malta’s’s position in these talks saying that it has three roles. The first of which is as a sovereign state, the second as a EU member state and finally as an island in the Mediterranean.

Regarding the EU, he says that they will fully carry out any commitments that come from the EU internally and as part of the global deal. However he says their position as Mediterranean island state is important as it is a region of the world that is vulnerable to existing and potential impacts of climate change.

He warns that climate change should not be viewed as a purely environmental issue as it has big socio-political repercussions.