It was all smiles and handshakes for Victor Axiak as he walked into a hall packed with employees, all set to join the new environment authority.

But the biology professor was under no illusion about the massive task awaiting him as chairman of the Environment and Resources Authority.

“I am sure the honeymoon will end with the first yes or no we say,” he told employees in a brief address yesterday at the Corinthia Palace Hotel.

ERA will inherit the environmental functions previously held by the planning authority and Prof. Axiak will be its first chairman.

It is about air quality, noise pollution, the countryside and so much more... it is useless having a pocket full of money if our quality of life is dismal

The authority is the result of government’s electoral commitment to split the planning and environment functions of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority.

Environmental groups had been critical of the demerger, arguing that it would weaken environmental scrutiny at the planning stage of contentious projects. The government contended otherwise, insisting that for the first time environmental protection would be elevated to the status of an independent authority.

Prof. Axiak’s name, announced last week, alleviated some of the green group’s concerns but the task ahead remains daunting.

Environmental groups started listing their demands when the ink had barely dried on the Department of Information statement listing the names of ERA’s board members.

Prof. Axiak yesterday acknowledged the high expectations people had of the authority.

“There are high expectation but that is as it should be because the environment is important and essential for the economy and development,” he told the Times of Malta.

Unfortunately, he added, the environment and development were often viewed as opposites. “It shouldn’t be so,” he said, fully aware of the immense pressure on the environment created by the simple fact that land is a scarce resource.

ERA will be dealing with issues that erupt from one controversy to the next. However, Prof. Axiak also takes a long-term view of the environment.

Encapsulated in the words “we will work in a way that makes sense”, Prof. Axiak said ERA had to adopt policies that transcended five-year electoral cycles.

Asked to put his finger on the primary issue of concern, Prof. Axiak said it was important to stress that the environment was about quality of life.

“It is about air quality, noise pollution, the countryside and so much more… it is useless having a pocket full of money if our quality of life is dismal. This does not represent development that makes sense.”

He said this was the issue the authority had to deal with as it took a long-term approach to environmental protection.

The going will not be easy. Already the new authority has been asked by some to object to the use of land in an outside development zone in Marsascala for the development of a university campus. More demands will invariably follow.

Environment Minister Leo Brincat yesterday jokingly picked up Prof. Axiak’s honeymoon comment at the meeting and said he expected the authority to make its voice heard.

“I will not interfere in what you say but I will worry if you remain silent because it would reflect badly on the choices made,” Mr Brincat said.

The minister’s concern is unlikely to materialise. In his previous role as chairman of the Church’s environment commission, Prof. Axiak never shied away from taking bold stands in favour of the environment.

His track record as a planning board member also boasts a pro-environment approach.

Alongside other ERA board members like Alan Deidun, chosen by green groups, Opposition nominee Maria Attard, a transport expert, and Jason Bonnici, a medical doctor and long-time member of Nature Trust, the authority could be expected to have a strong bark.

The more important question is whether it would also have the teeth to bite.

Prof. Deidun was cautiously optimistic when contacted yesterday.

“It is still early days since we are still in the process of formally constituting the authority and although ERA has no veto on planning decisions, I still believe we can give a valid contribution,” he said.

All board members had the will and determination not to disappoint people, he added. “The onus is on us to deliver.”

kurt.sansone@timesofmalta.com

The board members

Victor Axiak, chairman, independent board member:

A biology professor, Prof. Axiak, 66, is an expert in marine ecology and pollution. For several years he headed the Church’s environment commission. Under his watch the commission proposed splitting Mepa’s planning and environment functions by creating an independent environment authority. The proposal was first made in 2008 and reiterated in 2013. However, in 2015, the church commission, now under a new chairman, questioned the demerger process on the basis that it did not offer adequate environmental protection.

Prof. Axiak also sits on the planning authority board and has often adopted a pro-environment stand when voting on controversial projects. However, he desisted from participating in the planning application process for the new Delimara gas power station, having been involved as a consultant in the environmental impact assessment.

He has published various studies, with a primary focus on the marine environment.

Alfred Vella, independent member:

A chemistry professor and pro-rector at the University of Malta, he has often been appointed as a forensic expert by the court on chemical accidents, fire and explosion. He was a planning authority board member between 1992 and 1998.

Prof. Vella has often been in the eye of the storm for his research findings on the fireworks industry, having called in the past for better regulation and a reduction in the amount of fireworks to reduce health impacts of airborne chemicals.

He has also acted as a consultant to various governments and companies on environmental and scientific matters.

Alan Deidun, appointed by environmental groups:

A marine biologist, Prof. Deidun is an associate professor at the Physical Oceanography Unit within the Faculty of Science of the University of Malta. He is also a committed environmentalist with a regular column in The Sunday Times of Malta highlighting aspects of environmental abuse. In 2009, he unsuccessfully contested the European Parliament election on the Nationalist Party ticket. When launching his campaign he had insisted that he would not abandon his environmental cause and would criticise the PN if necessary.

Other independent board members:

Jason Bonnici – A doctor, he is the brother of the Justice Minister. Dr Bonnici had co-authored a study on asthma and its prevalence in the Fgura area as a result of traffic pollution. He is also a long-standing member of environmental organisation Nature Trust.

Ruben Abela – An architect specialising in conservation, he has served on the planning authority’s heritage advisory committee and works for Heritage Malta.

Louise Spiteri – A lawyer, currently working as an assistant lecturer at the University of Malta. She specialises in environmental and resource law.

Alexia Pisani – An economist with the Central Bank of Malta.

Opposition nominee:

Maria Attard – An associate professor at the University of Malta, Prof. Attard is the director of the Institute for Climate Change and Sustainable Development. She is also an expert in transport geography.

Government appointees:

Alan Pulis – A specialist in environmental management, he has acted as advisor to the government and also served as a member of the Strategic Environment Assessment Focal Point.

Carmen Buttigieg – The director at the Department for Social Welfare Standards, she is ERA’s vice-chairperson.

What the law says

The board:

The Malta Environment and Resources Authority is composed of a board made up of not less than eight members and not more than 10.

The independent members will hold office for a minimum term of three years. They may not be removed from office except by parliamentary resolution. Independent members cannot remain in office for more than seven years.

One of the independent members is nominated by the environmental groups.

The government appoints two public officers to represent it but these have to be qualified in environmental and social policy matters.

The Opposition can nominate one board member.

The CEO:

The authority will, after a public call, appoint a chief executive officer. Such appointment shall be for a period of three years which may be extended for further periods of three years.

Select functions:

The authority is tasked to prepare the State of the Environment Report and pass it on to the Commissioner for Environment and Planning within the Office of the Ombudsman. The authority will also prepare the National Strategy for the Environment.

The authority will have a seat on the planning authority board and will be able to appeal development decisions.

Registration board:

The Environment Protection Law also makes provisions for a registration board that will evaluate applications for inclusion in the Register of Consultants eligible to carry out environmental assessments, audits, monitoring and studies as required by the authority.