Two months ago Enemalta's gas bottling plant at Qajjenza in Birzebbuga had to be evacuated after a tank which was at first thought to contain highly flammable liquid petroleum gas developed a leak. In the event, it transpired that this was not the case and the leak had come from a tank which contained ethyl mercaptan, a smelly substance which is added to gas to render any leaks detectable. There had been no danger of an explosion and the evacuation can now be seen as a sensible precaution.

Nevertheless, the incident brought to the fore once again the incompatibility of having such a facility located so close to residential accommodation and the need for it to be re-located. Joseph Muscat, a Labour Member of the European Parliament, quite understandably felt that the issue was of sufficient importance as to raise it with the European Commission for its consideration under EU environmental rules, specifically those relating to the so-called Seveso 2 Directive governing the operations of high-risk plants such as the LPG facility at Qajjenza. In reply to a Parliamentary Question tabled by Mr Muscat, the European Environment Commissioner confirmed that the Commission was aware of the long delays to the plans to re-locate the gas plant, but it could not identify any breach of the Seveso 2 Directive which would justify infringement procedures against Malta.

This case raises two interesting, though unconnected, issues. The first is the rather obvious point that one of the key benefits which has come about from membership of the European Union is the access which Maltese citizens now have - either through their Member of Parliament or as individuals - to a supra-national body, the Commission, which has the ability to call the Maltese government to account if Malta is not meeting the regulations under the EU to which it has signed up. This is particularly relevant in such areas as the environment and health and safety where the EU's writ runs wide and deep. Some might call this a loss of sovereignty, but given Malta's record in the environmental and some other fields it should be regarded on balance as giving Maltese people a greater and more powerful say in matters affecting their freedom and quality of life. This will be perhaps the most enduring benefit to us of membership.

The second point is to highlight again the need for urgent action to re-locate the Qajjenza plant away from human habitation to a safer place. The criteria for the location of such plants under the Seveso 2 Directive are extremely strict. The Qajjenza plant only falls outside the terms of the Directive because having been built in 1959, it is exempt.

Enemalta is planning to build a new facility at Benghajsa on the cliffs adjacent to the Malta Freeport's oil storage facilities. Mepa has approved the outline development plan and is currently processing the full permit for its re-location to Benghajsa. There is a need to move more urgently with its de-commissioning. The longer the process is delayed, the greater the risk of a serious incident in Birzebbuga. While, thankfully, there has been none in the last 50 years, the scare in September should have alerted Enemalta (and Mepa) that there is a real urgency to closing down this plant which should be tackled with greater alacrity than has been demonstrated so far. The lives and quality of life of people are at stake.