In a press release, the organisation says that if past performance is a reflection of what is to be expected in the future, then these two parties are not worth voting for. Friends of the Earth has been calling for environmental improvements since 1985 and nearly 20 years later, we face much greater problems than we did then.

While environmental awareness has increased, the quality of Malta’s air and water has deteriorated and the country faces a variety of environmental problems related to land use, waste, transport, agriculture, energy, the sea and biodiversity.

While Malta’s joining the EU should prove to be a major step in the right direction, Friends of the Earth has called on the Environment Minister to put a stop to land speculation and over-building. Malta has, it says, lost far too much countryside and coastal area to building that was, and is, unnecessary and unsustainable.

As a sign of goodwill, the government could start by stating that the proposal for waste landfills near the Mnajdra Temple has been withdrawn and that it opposes the loss of large tracts of good agricultural land to golf courses. Friends of the Earth said it will not take the government’s commitment to the environment seriously unless targets are set for sustainable water, land and energy use and pollution is reduced.