Friends of the Earth Malta, Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar and the Ramblers Association, in a joint statement have accused MEPA of being "in violation of EU laws" which stipulate that civil society represented by eNGOs are to be involved in environmental and planning issues.

The eNGOs are referring to today's launch by MEPA of its latest reform legislation, which also includes the MEPA de-merger. "However, contrary to normal practice, this major milestone is being launched at a presentation limited to the development sector – developers and architects -while excluding civil society," the eNGOs said.

They stated that "in addition to exclusion from the planning process, MEPA has also violated EU procedure in the processing of major projects like that of the Mriehel towers, which was included in the FAR policy after the public consultation was closed."

"This denied stakeholders the opportunity to participate in decision-making for the area. MEPA promised that a second public consultation phase will be held once the new Local Plan policies and maps are completed," the eNGOs said.

The three eNGOs argued that "this is a travesty of correct planning procedures: a development of this magnitude cannot be decided upon before new planning guidelines for the area are established."

"In fact, the MEPA objectives for Mriehel reported on a number of aspects which argue against such developments as the Mriehel Towers. These include the blocking of and interference with `long distance strategic views from Mdina towards Valletta,' the generation of greatly increased traffic on roads that are already badly congested during peak hours, with the consequent increase in air pollution, now known to have major effects on health."

"The contempt of MEPA for civil society is currently being shown in its treatment of the Siggiewi application for a building on agricultural land in ODZ," the eNGOs stated.

"In the face of a questionable letter which was crucial in getting the application approved, PS Roderick Galdes took over two months to "investigate" the matter. He has now presented his conclusions to MEPA, after the deadline for the start of work on the site," they said.

The eNGOS added, "neither PS Galdes nor MEPA are in any hurry to publish their report and/or conclusions on the letter. Meanwhile the work on the site goes on: a monument to Galdes' and MEPA's contempt of civil society,"

The eNGOs questioned whether MEPA and the Government "care about legality or residents' health?" Adding that it is, "worth reminding this Government that Malta is made up of over 450,000 residents (and votes), not just the few hundred developers whose interests it promotes so assiduously."

Permalink: eNGOs accuse MEPA of being in “violation of EU laws”