Reference is made to the article entitled “Six NGOs voice concern over Mepa’s Environment Enforcement Unit” in which a number of NGOs raised their concern that the Environment Enforcement Unit within Mepa has been disbanded (TMIS, 27 September).
This is totally untrue – environment enforcement is still being carried out on a daily basis. The authority has explained on a number of occasions that the functions previously carried out by a single inspectorate are now integrated into the various units of the Environment Protection Directorate (EPD). This is far from qualifying for the word “disbanded” used by the NGOs.
During 2008, the EPD underwent restructuring to meet current needs and address growing challenges. The outdated structure of the Resource Management Unit (RMU), Nature Protection Unit (NPU) and Pollution Prevention and Control Unit (PPCU) was replaced by six units that responded to changed obligations in the national and environmental sectors. Staff working with the inspectorate team within the (PPCU), were re-assigned to the various units to carry out their duties in a more efficient and effective manner.
A fundamental aspect of the restructuring was to strengthen the link between environmental permits and enforcement. In the past, inspectors were not actively involved in the writing of permits, resulting in unenforceable conditions or permits that did not address the real environmental risks on the ground. This separation also went against all established EU best practices in granting environmental permits, which stress a risk-based approach and a shift away from classical reactive enforcement in favour of environmental auditing and pro-active measures particularly for industrial installations, which pose the greatest risk to the environment.
Industrial activities were brought within the portfolio of a single unit (Environmental Permitting and Industry) with the aim of creating a single focal point and one stop shop for industry. As part of this process, industrial permits are now completely drafted, consulted and audited by the Environmental Permitting and Industry Unit. The environmental enforcement function is also an important and fundamental part of the work carried out by this unit.
Besides the restructuring, the authority, through an EU funded project, also invested €280,000 in capacity building in enforcement. The aim of this project was threefold: it provided a review of the institutional framework across the environmental sector; it made recommendations for improvement of coordination between the various organisations involved in environmental enforcement; it provided an extensive training programme for approximately 250 trainees, including Mepa enforcement personnel, officers from the Administrative Law Enforcement Unit of the police, wardens, representatives of environmental NGOs, officials from Occupation Health and Safety Authority, Malta Maritime Authority, Health Department, Customs Department and the Local Councils Association.
While it is true that the EPD needs to further invest in human resources for it to keep addressing and meeting the challenges ahead, the Mepa Reform document presented by the government, boldly speaks and tackles these issues under the pillars of Efficiency and Enforcement. The government is committed to strengthen and invest in the authority’s environmental arm, while creating a new Enforcement Directorate within Mepa. This will allow EPD to focus on more specialised environmental auditing of higher risk installations. On its part, the Enforcement Directorate will focus more on investigative enforcement and a more timely and effective response to public complaints.
Peter Gingell
Mepa
Communications Office