Euro Parliament environment delegation tours Maghtab, power stations

Malta needed to be "absolutely certain" that it could get the maximum benefit from European Union funding if and when it joined the EU, according to the chairman of the European Parliament`s Environment Committee, Caroline Jackson, who toured Maghtab and the power stations yesterday.

Dr Jackson said it was possible that Malta would soon be able to benefit from funds, which were also being used by eastern European countries to help them improve their environmental and agriculture sectors.

"I do not see why Malta should not take advantage of that funding," she said.

Following a visit to Maghtab, accompanied by German Socialist MEP Jutta Haug and members of the secretariat of the Environment Committee in Brussels, Dr Jackson said that the government`s plan to close the landfill by 2004 was "quite an optimistic date".

She said Maghtab was of particular interest to the committee in view of the EU directive on landfills. The committee was exploring recycling, waste minimisation and composting as means of alternative disposal, and would be studying Malta`s waste disposal plan.

She said the question of waste disposal was always a difficult area for member states. The issue had been taken for granted for a long time and now everybody had to think hard about it and was coming to the conclusion that it was going to be difficult and expensive to divert waste from landfills, she said.

"Malta would find that it would have to go down the same route as we have, so there is nothing exceptional there."

Regarding the Marsa and Delimara power stations, which the delegation also visited yesterday, Dr Jackson said the committee was reassured that Malta would not face much difficulty in complying with EU legislation on that front.

On the protection of birds and how it could be ensured that the issue would not be a stumbling block for Malta`s path to membership, Dr Jackson said: "It is very important that we get it right on hunting. There is no reason why the Birds Directive should be an obstacle to Malta`s EU membership. We have to try and negotiate a settlement that is acceptable to all parties. It would not be perfect for either side, but should be acceptable to both".

The committee is to meet BirdLife International, BirdLife Malta and the hunters` organisations.

The delegation yesterday met a delegation of Alternattiva Demokratika, during which chairman Harry Vassallo explained that Malta was still a second-division country in various environmental and consumer-related aspects.

The Federation for Hunting and Conservation (Malta) observed in a statement that it was not officially notified of the committee`s visit, nor invited by the head of the EU delegation, Ronald Gallimore, to attend meetings with the committee.

It said unless an explanation was forthcoming, it would review its position, reconsider its relationship with BirdLife Malta and rethink its involvement and assistance in EU negotiations.

FKNK said it would be awaiting reactions from Mr Gallimore and the parliamentary secretary in the Home Affairs Ministry George Pullicino, who had not acceded to a repeatedly requested meeting and indefinitely postponed a meeting between Meusac (The Malta EU Steering and Action Committee) and the federation to meet the committee instead.

However, Mr Pullicino denied the claims, and said the postponement of the Meusac meeting had nothing to do with the visit.

Mr Pullicino said he had already met with the federation`s representatives twice during a meeting of the Environment Monitoring Board.

The committee yesterday also visited the Ghadira nature reserve and the Leventine Shearwater habitat at L-Ahrax in Mellieha.

Today, it is meeting Resources and Infrastructure Minister Francis Zammit Dimech, Mr Pullicino, Speaker Anton Tabone, Labour deputy leader George Vella and Opposition environment spokesman Joe Mizzi.