On the 24th January 2019, the Kamra tal-Periti in collaboration with the European Parliament representation in Malta, organised a discussion as part of the "This Time I'm Voting" action. Participants were invited to put forward those issues which they consider to be important in the upcoming MEP elections, primarily focussed on the architectural and engineering professions, and on the quality of the built environment, and on the basis of which they will be voting for their preferred candidates.
One of points raised concerned the promotion of responsible architecture and sustainable development, including through the recognition of the important role architects and engineers play in helping the EU achieve its targets to reduce energy consumption in buildings and mitigate the effects of climate change.
Just over a year ago, all the European Ministers for Culture signed the Davos Declaration titled "Towards a high-quality Baukultur for Europe." Baukultur embraces every human activity that changes the built environment, and is founded on the principle that there can be no democratic, peaceful and sustainable development if culture is not at its heart. Striking the right balance between cultural, social, economic, environmental and technical aspects of planning, design, building and adaptive re-use, in the public interest for the common good is of primary importance. The Kamra tal-Periti looks forward to seeing this declaration implemented on a national level, and believes that the European Union can provide support to encourage such implementation.
Ensuring greater access to and adequate resourcing of public projects to guarantee competition and afford greater client choice, as well as advocating for Quality-Based Selection and Design Competitions in public procurement, were also highlighted as important aspects affecting the built environment.
Another crucial target put forward by the Kamra tal-Periti concerned the advancement of the highest professional standards. This includes the recognition of the importance of life-long learning and the role of the profession in delivering Continuing Professional Development to ensure that skills remain current. It also requires appropriate levels of regulation to guarantee consumer protection, additional investment in education to deliver high quality graduates who are able to compete internationally, and greater awareness of the built environment among the younger generations by, for example, introducing architecture in the school curriculum, thereby providing better informed future citizens and clients.
Optimising professional mobility is also a concern. This can be better achieved by using the positive elements of European Directives to facilitate cross-border service and establishment, while resisting undue deregulatory tendencies that blur professional boundaries, and undermine public confidence in service providers.
Another aspect discussed during the event was the European Semester Country Report for Malta 2018, which highlighted a number of local issues that can be a hindrance to further economic growth including insufficient physical infrastructure, insufficient road network quality and a rapid increase in car usage and congestion. The Report had concluded that the islands face geographical isolation and very limited availability of natural resources and land, in a context of an increasing population and growing economic activity. It had also concluded that the structure of the economy to some extent takes account of these factors, however established patterns of growth, infrastructure and consumption may create path dependencies that accentuate the risks for the environment. "The absence of a comprehensive, long-term approach could intensify the resource bottlenecks and the impact of climate change, therefore also hindering growth prospects." It is therefore important to address these issues without further delay, and the European Union can be instrumental in instigating the required change.
All of the above aspects represent a wide spectrum of concerns, on which we look forward to our local MEP candidates' views.