Immediate action must be taken against excessive pollution limits in Lija after 40 years of suffering, Alternattiva Demokratika said yesterday.
AD insisted that the European Commission's argument not to open an infringement procedure because of a pending revision of the air quality directive was unacceptable.
The Commission confirmed last week that the air in Lija exceeds EU pollution limits and is not in line with EU law. The Commission's conclusions were given in reply to a petition filed by Michael Zammit and raised during a meeting of the Petitions Committee of the European Parliament meeting in Brussels.
In his petition, Dr Zammit complained that a factory in Lija, Blokrete Ltd, which produces construction material, emits dust and noise pollution to the detriment of the health and safety of Lija residents.
While pointing out that an air pollution abatement plan prepared by Malta did not manage to deliver compliance, the Commission said it did not intend to institute infringement proceedings for the time being because the relevant EU law was being updated.
During a news conference, AD official Arnold Cassola said it was not enough for the European Commission to declare that Malta was in breach of EU laws when Maltese governments had a tendency to play for time.
AD has written to EU Ombudsman Nikiforos Diamandouros and accused the Commission of "maladministration".
"The Commission is to be severely censored and it should take immediate action against the Maltese authorities so that this threat to the residents' health, which has been a constant feature since the late 1960s, is removed immediately," the letter stated.
The Commission is clearly flouting the draft recommendation of the Ombudsman in a 2005 complaint regarding a case in Lower Saxony, whereby the Ombudsman concluded that the Commission should deal with the complainant's infringement complaint diligently and without undue delay.
AD deputy chairman Mario Mallia accused successive governments of weakness when faced with the strong, at the expense of residents.
For several years, residents have had to endure fine dust, triggering off respiratory ailments like asthma. In the meantime, those breaking the law were allowed to do as they please, Mr Mallia said.