Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia said that a Bill presented in Parliament regarding the Environment Proterction Act promotes good governance and complete transparency.
Minister Farrugia presented the second reading of a bill aimed at reforming the Environmental Protection Act in Parliament, which includes more opportunities for the public to participate and intervene in the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) and the Planning Authority.
The bill provides opportunities for NGOs and the public to voice out their opinions on this sector, while facilitating access to information and documents through the Environment Resources Information System (ERIS) digital portal, where one can also apply for permissions through this platform, he said. Environmental impact assessments will also be done through legal notices, Farrugia said.
A new Environmental Commission, along with the ERA board, will be introduced which will listen and decide on permissions regarding the environment. An interested individual can not only attend meetings in this regard, but may also be able to make decisions, noted Farrugia.
The bill aims to improve the changes within the ERA and make sure that the environment is treated as a priority, so much so that the authority may issue an immediate order in a case of imminent danger to the environment, rather than wait a period of 15 days, he said.
Farrugia said that the bill promotes good governance and complete transparency, where the public knows exactly what is happening. He emphasized that NGOs and the public have said that the PL has had "environmental victories," with regard to protecting the environment, whilst the PN is only keeping up a false narrative that a PL government does not have the environment at heart.
"The Opposition does not believe in the safeguarding of the environment and does not know what it would change for the better when it comes to the environment," said Farrugia, arguing that the PN does not want to change and improve its 2006 local plans.
Opposition Whip Robert Cutajar condemned the Minister for the Environment Aaron Farrugia's claims that Malta's environment is at the forefront of the government's agenda for the country, saying that over the past nine years of the PL in government, the environment has never been a priority.
Cutajar said in Parliament today that there is no transparency and good governance with regards to the environment, two concepts which Farrugia said that the PL has its interest in.
He highlighted an EY survey which showed that 90% of youths in Malta said that the country's environment has gotten worse over the years, a testament which reflects the complacency of the government in failing to reduce environmental damage.
Cutajar rebutted Farrugia's claims, saying that NGOs, the public, and several media editorials have consistently mentioned the fact that Malta has seen a significant decline in the protection of the environment.
"ERA and the Planning Authority have been found in breach of the law when it came to the environment, with entities believing that through their important positions, they can do and act as they like without consequence," Cutajar said, adding that the PL cannot say that there is good governance. The environment has never been a priority, Cutajar said, highlighting the complacency of the PA in the destruction of traditional Maltese characteristics in the country's towns and villages.
Expat Insider Survey of 2021 showed that Malta ranked in the 56th place out of 59 for the quality of the environment, Cutajar emphasized, adding that the country's air quality as well as waste separation are one of the worst in Europe, noting that climate change has been ignored completely in the government's agenda.
He condemned the PL over its credibility while mentioning that environmental NGOs have not been given the sufficient funds or human resources to continue to run parks and environmental spaces in the country. Cutajar also questioned the government's lack of transparency in failing to introduce an appropriate space of where to dispose of hazardous waste, adding that nobody knows where this hazardous waste is being disposed.
Cutajar in the name of the PN, proposed several initiatives which help better the environment and give back public spaces for Maltese citizens, such as pedestrian zones in each locality, increase in biodiversity, and national funds to be allocated to historical buildings and public gardens.
"The PN believes that Malta is deserving of a better environment, as well as the need for government authorities who do not allow breaches of the law in this regard," he said.