Brussels still waiting for Dwejra information

The European Commission is still waiting for the planning authority to furnish information it had requested over the Dwejra incident.

A Commission spokesman said the Malta Environment and Planning Authority was meant to send in its assessment report on the damage that could have been made to the Natura 2000 site in Gozo when sand was laid there during filming. However, the information had not yet reached Brussels.

“We are still expecting the information we requested and we will be sending Mepa another technical letter this week to remind them about their obligations,” the spokesman said.

When contacted, a Mepa spokesman admitted the information requested had still to be sent to the Commission and that this would be done “in the coming days following the official approval of the Dwejra assessment report”.

Foreign film producers had laid construction-like material onto the rock surface in breach of their permit, causing alarm among environmentalists who questioned why the permit was given in the first place.

“The damage has now been done and, unfortunately, the situation cannot be reversed. However, we still want to make sure Malta is abiding by its Natura 2000 obligations,” the Commission’s spokesman said.

One of three reports established the rock surface at Dwejra was permanently damaged during filming.

Written by a team headed by Louis Cassar, the report said pinnacles on the rock surface were broken recently, which damage was “likely to have been caused by the use of heavy mechanical machinery”, probably the one employed initially during the clean-up before being stopped by Mepa. However, the impact on biodiversity was minimal, the report concluded.

Initially, the damage caused by the film producers was thought to be more substantial, though an assessment carried out by experts on Mepa’s request had found minimal lasting impact on the landscape.

This assessment had noted the damage found could not be specifically related to the filming in question because past activities, such as the presence of many visitors, fossil theft and the passage of vehicles over such fossils, could have also played a part.

Mepa took remedial action to ensure similar permits in the future will be better scrutinised.

Following the controversy that erupted in the aftermath, the Commission had stepped in to probe the extent of the damage to the site and see whether any provision of the Habitats Directive had been breached.

The Commission had written to the Maltese authorities to see how Mepa had assessed the situation, what were the possibilities of repairing the damage and also to question the management of the site.

The Commission is also seeking information on whether the Natura 2000 site is already covered by a management plan.

Following the incident, Mepa had admitted it had not yet put in place a management plan for the Dwejra/Qawra area as envisaged by the EU Habitats Directive with regard to Special Areas of Conservation under the Natura 2000 network.

However, Mepa is insisting that, according to EU rules, it has until 2014 to put in place such a plan.