The Malta Environment and Planning Authority demerger will weaken environmental governance and allow the minister to interfere with decision-making, Michael Briguglio for the Front Harsien ODZ said this morning.

Addressing a press conference in front of the Office of the Prime Minister, he said the front was opposed to the demerger and endorsed Din l-Art Helwa’s and Friends of the Earth’s statements on the subject.

“The proposed legislation makes it easier to develop on ODZ land, weakens enforcement, weakens transparency and weakens civil society participation in decision-making processes,” he said.

The NGO believes that allowing the minister to override Planning Authority decisions will lead to more political interference and decrease the authority’s autonomy.

Dr Briguglio said that changes in the law allowing for the regularisation of illegal development in protected zones put the future of the environment at risk and the NGO was worried that the new law lacked specific policies. 

“The national strategy for planning and environment should be a binding set of policies, which government and authority should commit to for a specified period of time, and any changes to it should be carried out through a formal process which is transparent and open to public consultation,” he said.