Untreated sewage continues to flow into Maltese seas in breach of both EU and local environmental regulations, the Nationalist Party (PN) said.

Speaking at a press conference, PN MPs Rebekah Borg, Ryan Callus, and Joe Giglio accused the Labour government of years of negligence, warning of serious consequences for public health, the environment, and Malta's tourism industry.

Opposition MP Rebekah Borg outlined the core problem, stating that Malta's two main wastewater treatment plants-located in Ċumnija and Ta' Barkat-lack the capacity to handle the nation's sewage load. This, she said, has resulted in untreated sewage being discharged directly into the sea, with the situation worsening under the Labour government's watch since 2016.

PN MP Ryan Callus cited the 2024 European Court of Justice ruling which found Malta in breach of EU wastewater directives. Callus noted that "the government itself admitted in court that the treatment plants were operating well beyond their limits." He added that the government's failure to invest in expanding infrastructure over the past years had worsened the crisis.

Callus also spoke of the government's removal of the sensitive zone designation from the area around the Ċumnija plant in December 2024, just weeks after the EU ruling. "Sensitive zone status imposes stricter treatment standards, yet the government quietly removed it over the Christmas period," Callus said. He questioned why the removal happened following the EU court judgement, accusing the government of "regulatory backsliding aimed at evading environmental obligations." According to Callus, when challenged, the government referred to a 2021 study but failed to provide evidence supporting the decision.

PN MP Joe Giglio argued that the government is systematically shifting blame onto third-party operators instead of accepting its own responsibility for managing Malta's sewage infrastructure. "Even the Water Services Corporation has admitted that inspections are only now being organised to check for sewage leaks near beaches, after repeated contamination incidents last summer," Giglio noted.

All three MPs agreed that Malta's rapid population growth-fuelled by foreign labour and unchecked development-has overwhelmed outdated sewage and energy systems. Borg argued that this reflected a flawed economic model "focused on growth without planning."

Giglio further stated that plans to upgrade the sewage treatment plants remain mired in bureaucracy. He said that the planned expansion of the Ċumnija plant still awaits approval from the Planning Authority, and even if approved, construction could take at least three years. "Until then, untreated sewage will continue flowing into the sea," Giglio warned.

Summing up the PN's position, Borg said the untreated sewage crisis represents not only an environmental and public health emergency but also a direct threat to Malta's tourism economy. "Tourists are finding beaches closed and coastal waters polluted. We've gone from having the cleanest seas in Europe to dumping untreated sewage in full view of visitors."

Looking ahead, Callus warned that Malta is unlikely to meet the stricter EU wastewater management requirements coming into effect in 2028, due to what he described as "the government's failure to set clear deadlines or implement concrete projects."

PL statement

In reaction, the Labour Party said that the Nationalist Party is engaged "in a desperate attempt to sell the lie that the quality of seawater in Malta is not good."

"If the PN were right, the European Environment Agency would not classify 92% of the beaches as having excellent quality and another 8% as having a good and satisfactory level. Despite this, the Government continues to invest in improvements, and the irony is that the PN always opposes such investment, as it is doing in the case of iċ-Ċumnija in Mellieħa."