Contrary to past years, the pre-budget document issued by the government this year is notably void of references to the environment, alternative energy or climate change, said opposition environment spokesman Leo Brincat.

On the other hand, another budget preparatory document, entitled “Benchmarking Malta’s Competitiveness”, revealed some worrying figures.

Malta is not only the fifth highest consumer of energy per unit of economic output, but it also has the second highest level of greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union.

Environmental indicators show that Malta’s consumption of energy per unit was more than 18 per cent above the average for the EU’s 27 member states.

When it comes to greenhouse gas emissions Malta is beaten to the top spot only by Cyprus, meaning its emissions level is no less than 57 per cent above the EU average.

Mr Brincat said one would expect the coming budget to come up with a number of concrete ways of addressing these problems, which negatively affect Malta’s environment and its sustainability.

Reacting to Mr Brincat’s statement, the Resources and Rural Affairs Ministry said the pre-budget document clearly laid out the principles underlying the government’s policies. The environment was at the heart of the government’s policies and the government was working to promote the environment in all its aspects.

The ministry said just considering the measures the government has taken, irrespective of whether they were mentioned in the budget, one found many that promoted the environment, helping also to reduce emissions and changing people’s attitudes so as not to promote waste.

These measures included schemes promoting solar water heaters and photovoltaic cells, distribution of energy saving bulbs and enactment of the law on energy performance of buildings. An educational campaign was run called Switch, an eco tax was introduced on plastic bags, and a public transport reform has been launched, among many other measures.