A survey conducted by the EU has shown that marine pollution, such as that caused by an oil spill, is the biggest single perceived risk of a natural or man-made disaster, as viewed by the Maltese.

55 per cent of respondents pointed to marine pollution as their biggest fear,followed by fear of an earthquake (48%) and flooding (30%).

29 per cent feared a violent storm and19 per cent feared an industrial accident. Somehow, one per cent feared a forest fire while 5 per cent feared a tsunami and seven per cent feared a landslide. No one feared a volcanic eruption but two per cent listed a nuclear accident as their biggest concern.

The report shows that Central and Eastern European countries tended to report apprehension for landslides, violent storms and flooding. The Nordic countries together with the Netherlands felt themselves to be at risk of industrial accidents and marine pollution.

Western European states on the other hand, such as France and Luxembourg, together with Germany, indicated fear for violent storms, flooding and industrial accidents. Nuclear accidents were mentioned relatively frequently in Luxembourg and Germany.

22 per cent of the Maltese said they had taken precautions, such as preparing a first aid kit, compared to the EU average of 20 per cent.

A large percentage of the Maltese said they backed EU assistance for preparations in case of a major accident, and actual intervention in case of a major incident.