Joe Catania is the new board secretary at the Malta Environment and Planning Authority.

Mr Catania started his career as a law clerk at the Attorney General’s Office, from where he graduated as a Legal Procurator in 1992. Following a period of three years in private practice with an established law firm, Mr Catania joined the then Planning Authority’s Legal Office in September 1995.

His wide range of duties included handling all the Authority’s court registry work, representing the Planning Directorate before the Planning Appeals Board, prosecuting breaches against the Development Planning and Environment Protection Acts, tendering internal advice, as well as the formulation and drafting of planning and environmental legislation among others.

Mr. Catania occupied the post of Senior Legal Procurator in the Legal Office of MEPA before his appointment.

As board secretary Mr Catania will be responsible for a broad range of functions arising from the Development Planning Act. He assumed his duties on Monday 13 August.