Environmental obligations

I refer to the article Malta Gets Three Warnings On Climate Change (April 7) reporting on the European Commission's regulatory action against Malta for failing to honour its environmental obligations, which include measures related to climate change.

With regard to the action against Malta over its failure to link its national greenhouse gas emissions registry with the European Union-wide registry system, the Ministry for Rural Affairs and the Environment wishes to inform readers that the software for the said registry has already been acquired and installed. A technical official from the Commission has also certified the system to be compatible with the EU's registry. The last technical tests are being completed and the registry will be connected to the EU system by the end of this month and will be accessible to the public online. This system is important for the trading of greenhouse gas allocations.

The Commission sent a formal letter to Malta to submit information on policies and measures on its emission projections and on its greenhouse gas emissions for 2004.

Consultations are being carried out with the relevant entities and a report is being prepared on policies and measures to be enacted to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ensure that progress in this respect is properly monitored. Data on Malta's greenhouse gas emissions for 2004 is also being put together. Malta's EU accession to the European Union has placed additional obligations and responsibilities on the country, which the government is committed to honour in the interest of both its people and the environment.