Dr Sant said that the Labour Party was insisting that its member in the EP reflect the aspirations of the environmental NGOs.

He described this meeting as the first step in a process of continuous consultation, both formal as well as informal, in order to achieve this aim.

Dr Sant said that out of the major groups in the EP, the Party of European Socialists had a better record that the European People’s Party in approving measures in favour of the environment in the EP, with 84 per cent as against 23 per cent.

He said that the environmental policy of the Labour Party was based on three pillars – the natural environment, the historical and cultural environment (on which Din l-Art Helwa were being the most effective), and the human environment.

It is on human environment and its impact on public health that the policy of the Labour Party on the environment is focused, Dr Sant said.

He explained that the party’s experience through polls as well as through door-to-door visits showed that is on the human environment that the majority of the Maltese people are concerned.

Dr Rudolph Ragonesi of the Gaia Foundation said there was the lack of a consistent national strategy on the environment. He complained that most of the decisions on the environment in Malta were taken as a result of crisis management.

“This situation has been going on for many years now,” Dr Ragonesi said.

He called on all those involved in decision-making in the environment sector to take the responsibility to put in place a national strategy following a wide public consultation so that there would be some consistency from one administration to another.

Vincent Attard of Nature Trust expressed his appreciation at the fact that the Labour Party was putting its emphasis on the environment for a whole week in the EP electoral campaign.

“This means that the environment is rising on the national agenda,” Mr Attard said.

He complained about the fact that NGOs in Malta were still not recognised and registered by law in Malta.

This was putting Maltese NGOs at a disadvantage when they are competing for EU funds with foreign NGOs since the Union requires that an NGO is registered in order to qualify for funding, Mr Attard said.

He also called on the EU to put the Mediterranean higher on the EU’s environmental agenda since the EU was focusing more on eastern Europe in this respect.