I would like to thank Darrell Pace, communications coordinating officer, Ministry for Rural Affairs and the Environment, for confirming in The Times of December 5 that the European Commission has rapped the Maltese government for insisting on maintaining a quota of 2.9 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions for the period 2008-2012, instead of the recommended 2.1 tonnes.

Mr Pace has openly stated that "the Commission disagreed that there existed a need to review its decision to reduce Malta's allocations by 27.4 per cent", as requested by the Maltese government.

What is welcome in Mr Pace's letter is the news that now the Maltese government has been forced to resubmit "its revised and finalised National Allocation Plan to the Commission in the near future".

This news is welcome not only because, when implemented, the new National Allocation Plan will save the Maltese and Gozitan taxpayer millions of euros in fines, but also because it will help to provide our people with less pollution, in the air we breathe.

Since the period of emission quotas involved starts in just over three weeks' time, I sincerely hope that the government intends the "near future" to mean "in less than 21 days from now".