Dar Malta works clear hurdle

Refurbishment work on Dar Malta in Brussels, intended to house Malta's Permanent Representation to the European Union, could finally begin next month after the Belgian authorities moved a step closer to giving the go-ahead.

Detailed plans submitted by the Maltese government and Blaton, the Belgian company commissioned to carry out the works, were discussed and approved during a public meeting held at the end of last month. When contacted, Malta's Permanent Representative to the EU, Richard Cachia Caruana, said the refurbishment, which will cost an estimated Lm2.5 million, should begin by the end of February.

He expects the Maltese staff to transfer to the new premises by the end of the year.

However, the plans still need the blessing of the commune authorities of Etterbeck where the building is situated. This decision is expected to be taken by the end of this month.

It has been 18 months since the government bought Dar Malta in the centre of Brussels in a move that caused fierce controversy because of the price tag: Lm6.5 million excluding refurbishment costs.

The government had hoped the building would be functioning by the beginning of this year.

But two months ago, The Times revealed that the applications for the issue of permits, submitted last June, were caught up in a bureaucratic tug of war between different Belgian planning authorities.

It normally takes three months for the Belgian authorities to process such applications and give the green light.

As a result the Maltese ambassador to Belgium had lodged an official complaint with the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The new Maltese offices, situated in the heart of the EU quarter just metres away from the headquarters of the European Commission, consist of a 10-storey block and another three underground storeys to be used as a car park. Dar Malta will also house the Maltese Embassy to Belgium and other offices.