'No formal correspondence from Brussels'

The Ministry for Rural Affairs and the Environment insisted yesterday that the European Commission "has not undertaken any formal correspondence" relating to the Sea Directive and the development zones rationalisation exercise.

The point was raised in an official reaction to comments by the chairman of Alternattiva Demokratika and reported in The Times on Monday.

This is the reply sent to The Times in terms of the Press Act:

"The Minister for Rural Affairs and the Environment deplores the allegations made by AD chairman Harry Vassallo when he stated that 'Minister (George) Pullicino has made a historic challenge to the EU by defying it directly' (The Times, November 20).

"This couldn't be further from the truth. Whilst strongly rebutting the allegations of defying the EU and its rules, it must be stated that Mepa had sought the opinion of the Strategic Environment Assessment (Sea) audit team in a letter dated July 12, 2006. The ministry reminds the public about the independent opinion published on July 20, 2006 by the Sea audit team.

"This audit team was established in accordance with the transposed EU Regulation of the Sea Directive (2001/42/EC).

"The Sea audit team had stated that, after having assessed all available information and formal communications and after having looked at the directive and the regulations transposing it, the audit team observed that the approval of the local plans by Parliament (as part of the boundaries rationalisation process) was in fact within the transition period which the directive exempted member states from subjecting plans and programmes to a strategic environment assessment.

Furthermore, it was also communicated that, given the advanced stage of the process, which had been going on since 1993, in accordance with the provisions of the directive, the Sea audit team did not consider it feasible to have a strategic environment assessment when the strategic phase of the process had already been surpassed. "The legislative process to give full effect to the local plans, including the partial Structure Plan review, was by no means in the strategic phase but had, on the contrary, reached its final stages, so much so that the process had been submitted to the legislative process by virtue of a parliamentary resolution.

"Furthermore, despite the impression that some past media reports could have given, the government reiterates that, to date, the Commission has not undertaken any formal correspondence on this issue with the Maltese authorities, let alone did it initiate any formal infringement procedures against Malta on this particular issue.

"The minister reserves the right to take further action if the need may be."