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Watch: David Xuereb on Why Decarbonisation Is Europe’s Strongest Competitive Advantage
A former architect who now chairs both the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD) and the Malta ESG Alliance, Xuereb described his work as focused on social dialogue and long-term economic vision. “ESG should not be seen as a tree-hugging approach towards just being good for the sake of being good,” he said. “It’s really about addressing those risks that could derail the ambitions of a society, a business, even a national economy.”
Malta, he noted, has committed to a national decarbonisation strategy by 2050 — aligning with European Commission policy and Mario Draghi’s call for competitiveness through climate transition. “Decarbonisation is the most competitive tool that Europe has compared to the rest of the world,” Xuereb said. He added that while Malta’s contribution is small in global terms, the country must adapt to rising sea levels, temperature increases and infrastructure pressures, all of which threaten sectors such as tourism.
Dennys emphasised that ESG extends far beyond environmental policy. His firm, active in online gaming, uses technology to promote safer play and ethical conduct. “We take our role very seriously,” he said. “We’re effectively guiding and helping players online to navigate through the dark areas and dodgy practices.”
Xuereb argued that leadership today is defined by balancing profit with purpose. Short-term speculation, he warned, is unsustainable. “Profitability for the long term — that’s sustainability,” he said. He contrasted the enduring goals of business with the short political cycles that often hinder national progress, calling for Malta’s 25-year “North Star” vision to outlast partisan agendas.
The discussion also examined data transparency as a core ESG principle. Xuereb called the responsible sharing of data “a level of leadership driven by accountability.” He added, “Accountability is leadership,” linking access to reliable information with investor trust, sound policymaking and stronger governance.
As artificial intelligence and data processing expand, Xuereb cautioned that digital progress brings environmental costs. He urged companies to ensure data centres are powered by clean energy, warning against the reputational and ethical risks of “greenwashing.”
Both agreed that while political rhetoric on ESG has cooled in some regions, European business leaders continue to act decisively, driven by science, customers and investor expectations rather than short-term politics.
Xuereb concluded that Europe’s path to sustainability is both an environmental duty and a competitive opportunity: decarbonisation, data transparency and ethical leadership are now fundamental to economic resilience.
