30th March 2003

Disaster for the Environment should we not join EU

Losing out on EU membership would be disastrous for Malta, Friends of the Earth (Malta) said today.

The EU with its far-reaching and comprehensive environmental legislation is Malta’s best chance for environmental improvement and FoE Malta encourages a pro-EU vote on 12 April.

EU regulations would lead to benefits to our health and well-being which in monetary terms have been calculated at anything between Lm20 million and Lm150 million.

Staying out of the EU is a risk too great to take, whatever the promises of the political parties are.

The Malta Labour Parties claims to bring Malta up to EU standards outside the EU cannot be taken seriously. This is the same party that, before being elected in 1996 claimed it would protect the countryside from speculation and investigate the granting of planning permits for the Portomaso development.

None of these promises were kept. The MLP has adopted an impressive electoral manifesto on the environment, but has not stated how environmental improvement will be achieved. Moreover, FoE Malta has no faith the Malta Labour Party to improve the environment given its track record over the years.

The MLP has been inconsistent at the best with is positive stand on the Gozo airstrip and Verdala golf course, new fish farms and its negative stands on other golf courses, a yacht marina, new fish farms.

Moreover, the MLP until recently produced an environmental position paper that envisaged more high rise buildings, the exploitation of the sea for Maltese stone and oil exploration.

Friends of the Earth (Malta) is all too familiar with the pre-election promises of the two large political parties, and their failure to carry them through. The EU guarantees that Maltese citizens will have both access to information and recourse to ensure that environmental directives are followed.