Camping activities in the Maltese Islands are set to cause further headaches to local authorities as there are no specific laws to regulate this popular leisure activity. As long as this grey area in Maltese legislation is not addressed, enforcement is likely to remain a controversial issue with every case being judged on its own merit.

Following the controversy that erupted in the past weeks in Marsaxlokk, where residents staged a protest against a number of people who had been camping in the Magћluq area for a number of weeks, this newspaper sought to get clarification on the matter.

According to the Competition, Small Business and Consumers Ministry, which is directly responsible for the Lands Department, “there is no law which specifically regulates camping”.

However the Ministry spokesman added that “setting up a camp on a piece of land or on the foreshore does not constitute ordinary use of the land in that it involves the exclusion of other members of the public from a defined piece of land and the erection of a temporary structure.”

As a result, camping “has to be seen as an activity which can only be tolerated at best and there is no right as such to camp on public or on private land”.

The Ministry confirmed that the only designated area for camping is in Daћlet ix-Xmajjar, on the outskirts of Mellieћa, along with some caravan sites on public land. However, no specific caravan site was mentioned.

Regarding the issue of enforcement, the Ministry’s response was rather vague. It said that camping activities are tolerated as long as they “do not cause public inconvenience and are carried out within reasonable recreational limits”.

On the other hand, it said that “camping can violate a number of laws, including those on unauthorised entry into property, the illegal occupation of public land and planning laws”. In such cases, individuals may be breaching civil and planning laws and may also be considered guilty of criminal contravention. The Ministry said that the aforementioned cases “carry a range of criminal and administrative sanctions according to the circumstances of the offence”.

Such a response from the authorities will probably be of no help to those seeking to enjoy camping while trying to abide by the law. For now, the impression is that camping is permitted as long as no complaints are lodged by third parties.