The European Commission (EC) is aware of the high ecological interest of the Ta’ Cenc area and has been putting pressure on the Maltese government to address “insufficiencies, particularly in the Ta’ Cenc area”, this newspaper has learnt.

According to a bio-geographical seminar for the Mediterranean region for EU-10 held last December, the Ta’ Cenc area is mentioned as an area to be designated for a number of habitat types and species of (European) Community interest, according to a letter sent by Patrick Murphy, head of the EC’s nature and biodiversity unit.

Mr Murphy’s letter was sent in the name of Environment Commissioner, Stavros Dimas, in reply to Alternattiva Demokratika secretary general Victor Galea.

Mr Galea had requested “the commission’s intervention in terms of Article 5 of the European directive on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (Habitats Directive), so that Ta’ Cenc can be protected once and for all”.

An application for the development of part of the Ta’ Cenc area into a heritage park and a multi-ownership tourist hotel is currently pending, but AD, environment NGOs and nature lovers have strongly opposed the proposed development.

In his letter, Mr Galea pointed out that the area is characterised by a number of habitat types listed in the directive, including rock pools, vegetated sea cliffs with endemics and open karst plateau.

The area is also important from an ornithological point of view, and several bird species recorded at Ta’ Cenc are habitat dependent.

Only a very small part of the cliff face has been declared a Special Protection Area, and it is also protected by local bird regulations covering three sea bird species – the Cory’s shearwater, the yelkouan shearwater and the European storm petrel.

However, the whole Ta’ Cenc plateau is the largest local stronghold for the short-toed lark, a summer visitor to the Maltese Islands, and also presents adequate habitat for the national bird – the blue rock thrush – as well as threatened species like the spectacled warbler and the corn bunting.

Mr Galea called on the EC to oblige Malta to declare such a sensitive, important area, not only a Special Protection Area (SPA), but also a Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

EU member States normally propose a number of SPAs according to the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive and, after analysis of the proposals, the EC would decide whether or not to declare them as SACs, which would then eventually form part of the Natura 2000 network.

However, according to Article 5 of the Habitats Directive, “in exceptional cases” where agreement between the EC and a member State had not yet been reached, the commission would eventually be obliged to forward a proposed site to the Council of Europe, “relating to the selection of the site as a site of community importance”.

Should this happen to Malta, it will then be obliged to declare the site as a SAC. However, according to Mr Murphy’s letter, the EC is currently waiting for the Maltese authorities to designate additional SPAs and take all the necessary measures to make sure that the species and habitats of community interest are protected.

“If necessary, the EC will pursue the ongoing infringement procedure in relation to insufficient SPA designation and open additional procedures if appropriate measures are not taken,” Mr Murphy wrote.

The letter added that the commission is confident that this will help convince the Maltese authorities of the need to fully comply with the provisions of the EU’s nature legislation.

Mr Murphy said the commission has invited the Maltese authorities to propose additional sites to cover certain insufficiencies, particularly in the Ta’ Cenc area.

The commission’s preliminary analysis identified as the main concerns the omission of marine SPAs from designation and that the boundaries of four SPAs, identified on the basis of Important Bird Area (IBA) designation, do not reflect the boundaries for the IBA sites. As a result, the integrity of these SPAs is undermined.

“Earlier this year the commission informed Malta about the remaining insufficiencies, including the Ta’ Cenc area, and requested clarification as to progress made regarding further designations,” Mr Murphy said, adding that the commission sent a letter of formal notice regarding this issue on 27 June.