Breach of EIA rules claim

The government has failed to inform the European Commission of at least 17 cases of proposed development where it waived the legal requirement to carry out an environment impact assessment, according to the environmental group Flimkien ghall-Ambjent Ahjar.

Since Malta joined the EU, there were at least 17 such developments which were approved simply after notices appeared in the Government Gazette, the FAA said.

Member states are bound to inform the European Commission before exempting developers from an EIA, FAA pointed out. The Commission has confirmed to the group that it was not notified in these cases.

The latest case to be made public relates to the waiver of an EIA for the controversial Fort Cambridge project, a large development of apartments on the site of the former Crowne Plaza Hotel in Sliema.

Last week The Times reported that the EU was assessing whether there were grounds to start infringement proceedings against the government in connection with the approval of the project without requiring an EIA. Among other cases of non-notification was the Bugibba artificial beach, "which spilled out into the marine ecosystem" last winter, FAA said.

"Many projects were indiscriminately pushed through to appease developers; though in the case of the beach, the developer was the Malta Tourism Authority."

The group also mentioned the development of a water fun park at Bahar ic-Caghaq, which had been hotly contested by residents, saying that the outcome might have been very different had an EIA been carried out.

Moreover, the need for an EIA was also waived in the case of a large touristic development at Ramla Bay. The proposed development borders a candidate Natura 2000 site and the lack of a proper study will put Malta in a bad light with regard to measures to stop species loss under its EU commitments towards biodiversity targets, the group said.

Questions sent to the Environment Ministry early in the afternoon remained unanswered.