09th March 2002

Environmentalists should be appointed to the EPA Board

The make-up of the Environment and Planning Authority Board should be changed to reflect its new responsibilities, the environment groups Din L-Art Helwa; Moviment ghall-Ambjent, Friends of the Earth (Malta) and Nature Trust (Malta) said today.

Since the former Planning Authority is now taking on environmental responsibilities in a way that it never did before, it would make sense that this is also reflected in its Board.

At least half the Board should be people well versed in environmental matters and independent of business and government interests, the groups said.

The Prime Minister, Eddie Fenech Adami, is on record stating: “the environment is a very high priority for this government,” (BBC World) but this has not been reflected in government policy.

If the environment were a high priority then action would be taken to improve the quality of our air and water, to deal in a sustainable manner with waste and transport, to protect our countryside and coasts. Unfortunately, despite the Prime Minister’s words, nothing is being done.

A first step would be to change the set-up of the Environment and Planning Authority Board by appointing independent members. The way we use our land is our most pressing environmental problem and one that has not been tacked by successive administrations.