02nd April 2003

Environment - Between Lm10 million and Lm58 million lost annually
if Malta does not join

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 Euro24 million (Lm10.70 million) and Euro130 million (Lm58 million) annually.


Staying out of the EU is a risk too great to take, whatever the promises of the political parties are. Should EU environment directives be complied with Malta stands to benefit from improved health (including a reduction of diseases); resource benefits; ecosystem benefits and other benefits that are not directly related to the environment.
Among the measures which will be achieved with EU compliance would be:

1) improved and extended water collection and treatment plants
2) improved air quality notably in urban areas
3) reduced pollution including dangerous substances
4) collecting, treating and disposing of waste from households, industry and hospitals in ways that cause minimal environmental impacts
5) cleaning up of contaminated land (eg Maghtab and Qortin rubbish dumps)
6) protecting eco-systems, habitats and species from economic and environmental pressures
7) reducing emissions of pollutants from economic sectors such as large industrial plants and agriculture

The Malta Labour Party’s 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 drawn up 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 to say the least with its positive stand on the Gozo airstrip, Verdala golf course and new fish farms in apparent contradiction to 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.