Din l-Art Helwa has asked the government to ensure that the public is given adequate opportunity to voice their views and concerns on three Bills to regulate the forthcoming separation of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, published yesterday.

In a statement this morning it said the new government entities that are to be formed by this separation would shape the future of development and the environment in Malta for many years to come.

Din l-Art Helwa said that last year, the consultation documents on this separation were only made available in the week after the public meeting was held, and Din l‐Art Helwa was, therefore, not able to read, discuss and prepare questions on the documents to be addressed at the public meetings.

The public consultation period of three weeks was also much too short for an important issue such as this. For these reasons, Din l‐Art Helwa stated at the time that it did not consider this public consultation to have been adequately carried out.

One of the main principles of the Aarhus Convention, to which Malta was a signatory, it said, was that the public had the right to participate effectively in decision-making on environmental matters.