There is more propaganda than work on the ground when it comes to Project Green, Nationalist Party MP and Shadow Minister for the Environment Rebekah Borg said, a "failure" that was also highlighted by the National Audit Office.

In an interview with The Malta Independent on Sunday, Borg said that the environment cannot be seen in isolation. "It can never be seen as just green spaces and trees - while they are very important, I believe that if seen in isolation, then it will not work." She continued that the environment has to be seen as part of the economic model, and added that if the economic model does not have the environment at its heart, then that would pose a big issue.

The environment has to be seen with factors such as transport, tourism, and infrastructure. If transport is not sustainable and environmentally friendly, then that is also a problem in itself.

Borg said that when it comes to improving the state of the environment in Malta, it's not about just committing to planting more trees, which is an important factor. She said overdevelopment cannot continue at this rate, tying back to the issue of the economic model. "If you have a different economic model, and you open up new niches, then you develop the country in a different way. You have to think on a larger scale."

She said one cannot just state that they intend to set up "a little park somewhere". She reiterated that parks and such green spaces are still important, but added that such projects are not going to solve the problem as "it is much bigger than that".

All aspects of the environment should be safeguarded. When we start seeing things in isolation, maybe they would look good, but when you see things on a bigger scale and you see an economic model which has led to increasing traffic and extra burden on the hospital, the environment has also suffered.

Planning decisions

Borg questioned where the role of the Environment and Resources Authority when it comes to planning decisions and planning development. She commented that the ERA has a representative on the planning board of the Planning Authority, but added that if that representative is unable to turn up, then there is no substitute to ensure that the ERA has representation. Borg said that there should be a substitute for such situations. She also questioned why the power to veto has not been introduced for the ERA.

Asked if there should be stricter government regulation to regulate between development and open spaces, she responded that the environment really needs to be at the centre of planning, "and when I say the environment I do not just mean open spaces, although that is part of it". She said that one thing that should be done is increasing NGO representation on the planning boards. "The NGOs do a very good job, why not give them a better say? They have one representative, why not increase their strength? Why are we scared of what the NGOs have to say?"

She also spoke of the importance of aesthetics in construction, and said that she has been asking for an aesthetics policy ever since getting into parliament in 2022. "We haven't heard anything, and it is needed as soon as possible." The reality is that "we cannot not build", but the issue is "how and where we build that needs to be done better". She stated that certain safeguards need to start being put in place on construction, as she added that the country has to start from the basics, and that "an aesthetics policy would mean that things look nicer as well".

The PN MP was asked about the effects of an increasing population and the associated construction on Malta's environment, to which she replied by focusing again on the issue of having an economic model "which does not support the environment". She continued that in such a case, there will be a lot of other things that suffer as a consequence, and spoke of waste management as an example.

Mentioning a tender for a €600 million Maghtab incinerator project, she commented that when Nationalist government had proposed the idea it "was laughed at and told it doesn't make sense for Malta". When the Labour Party was then elected into government, "it commissioned a study which cost over €1 million which said that an incinerator was not needed in Malta and that the country's rubbish should be exported". Borg remarked that this study was "€1 million down the drain because we never did export our waste, and then they came back to the incinerator".

Renewable energy

Moving to the subject of energy's connection to the environment, Borg was asked how important shifting towards renewable energy is for a healthy environment, as well as if she believes that Malta's sustainability and energy goals, such as carbon neutrality by 2050, are realistic.

She stated that it is "very, very important" that the country shifts to renewable energy. She continued that the seas are a prime example of how this can be achieved, but added that "no, I think that the government is not being realistic".

The PN MP said that she thinks wind farms on the sea are positive ideas, but added that she wishes more was known about them "because the information so far from the government has been limited". She added that she wishes such projects had been done before, as the sea is "a perfect opportunity for renewable energy".

"Wind generated farms on the sea are something positive. I wish we knew more about them because the information so far from the government has been limited. I wish it had been done before; I think the sea is a perfect opportunity for renewable energy. Obviously, there need to be studies; even the depths of our seas need to be analysed, so I understand there is a long process there, but it was already started too late."

She spoke of recent extensions given for renewable energy grants, and questioned why solar rights are not being talked about. "It's useless giving a grant if in a few years' time your panels are going to be useless. We need to start talking about solar rights. I think the grants are positive and will make a difference, but you have to see it from a much wider perspective."

Borg remarked that the government needs to lead by example when talking about renewable energy, and questioned why the roofs of government buildings are not being used for this purpose. She added that the government also needs to lead by example with regard to saving energy. "Why aren't government buildings more energy efficient? Have studies been carried out about how energy efficient government buildings are and how they can be improved? It's not just about producing renewable energy, but also about reducing our use of energy."

She remarked that real change needs to start being produced "because it's useless to take photo opportunities with a plaque in a green space by Project Green, plant some trees, say we opened a green space, when the reality is completely different". She continued that there needs to be a complete overhaul, and added that it starts from the economic model and goes wide across the different sectors of society.

"Even if the Environment Minister has a good target, let's say her intentions are good. The whole Cabinet has to have good intentions when it comes to really implementing (them) for the environment. When we're talking about emissions, they are not just environment-related; you'd have to have the Transport Ministry on board, and the Health Ministry also comes into that, so it's not just about the environment; it is about much, much more."

Transparency International

Borg was asked for her thoughts about what action should be taken by the government following Malta receiving its worst ranking yet in the Transparency International corruption index.

The PN MP replied that the government does not seem concerned. She spoke of the magisterial inquiry amendments that the government has proposed, and she said the government seems not to think that it is important for citizens to have the right to open a magisterial inquiry.

"We know that this type of magisterial inquiry was used to open the inquiries into Vitals and Electrogas. Without them, these cases would not have been revealed. The information we now know today would not have been there. It seems that the government is going the other way; this is an anti-democratic law, and it is very, very dangerous. How can we have a government which uses its power to cover up what they have been doing?"

Drug heist

Following the theft of 200kg of cannabis resin from the Armed Forces of Malta's Safi barracks, Borg was asked what her thoughts are after the Prime Minister refused the resignation of Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri.

"Speaking as a mother of a young child, the fact that this government is not taking the drug problem seriously worries me a lot," she said.

She commented that there are people who have problems with drug addiction, and added that this situation "was sort of disregarded by the Prime Minister". She added that Camilleri had not even bothered to turn up in parliament the day after the theft took place. "That is an insult to the Maltese population - not turning up to answer questions."

Borg continued that the Prime Minister's refusal to have a discussion on the matter is even more worrying. "What is there to hide?" She asked. "Why can't we have a discussion? If there's nothing to hide, then have a discussion."

The PN MP remarked that the most worrying thing from this situation is that these drugs are on the street, and the Prime Minister does not want to discuss it. "For me, as a mother and representative of the people, that is very worrying."

Cost of living

The PN recently used one of its allocated parliament sessions to discuss a motion on the cost of living. The Malta Independent on Sunday asked Borg why the Opposition chose to focus on this topic during its allocated session.

She replied that from her experience with house visits and talking to people, the cost of living.

Borg said that she thinks the importance of focusing on what people really struggle with day to day is what makes a good government, as she commented that "this is what the current government lacks". She continued that people are worried about their day-to-day lives and that, at the end of the day, the MPs are there to represent the people. "I don't think this government is doing its job, and that's why we chose that motion as one of our motions to present in parliament."