Mr Pullicino and Dr Agius said the application by the Fisheries Department was to have the zone some six kilometres off the Delimara coast. They said that before anything is done, one needed to wait for the results of an environmental impact assessment study including the socio-economic, environmental risks and opportunities that could arise from the project.

The two MPs said it would therefore be ideal to have the report forwarded to the Mepa before the board could take any decision.