The EU Accession Treaty fixed March 31, 2007 as the final deadline for Malta for the implementation of Council Directive 91/271/EEC of May 21, 1991 dealing with urban waste-water treatment. This deadline applies to the Malta south urban waste water treatment plant, as it is not subject to any transitional period.

In its PDS for the environment impact assessment for the said plant (third submission, January 30, 2007), the Water Services Corporation stated that "Although it will be impossible to complete the south sewage treatment plant (SSTP) within the March 31, 2007 deadline, the WSC is committed to commission the SSTP by end 2008".

Answering a question I put to the Commission, Stavros Dimas said that Brussels has been informed by the Maltese authorities that "there will be a delay for the Malta south treatment plant, that the tender for the construction of the treatment plant was published on April 11, 2007, that the planned plant will treat the sewage to a further stage than originally envisaged with the result of restoring bathing water quality to the southeast cost of Malta, and that the project should be completed during the first quarter of 2009".

In his answer, Commissioner Dimas was kind enough to inform us that there will be a further delay, something that the government has failed to tell us.

He also said that the Commission intends to follow this closely and will consider appropriate action.

Who will shoulder responsibility for all these delays and any resulting repercussions?

The Socialist Group in the European Parliament has stepped up its pressure against major banks which are helping speculators to make money out of soaring world food prices.

A number of banks offer Food Price Investment Funds based on speculation of price increases for wheat, coffee and sugar.

Such funds are further pushing up food prices at a time when the international situation is hitting hardest on the weakest parts of society.

Thus, our group has called for a directive to ban similar investment funds whose performance is linked wholly or in part to speculation on the increase in price of basic foodstuffs.

The European Parliament's Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee voted to ban azodyes, that is the bright colourings in sweets and fizzy drinks that can make children hyperactive.

I got a huge feedback when I wrote about the subject a couple of weeks ago.

Now I am pleased that the Committee has given such a strong signal in favour of the so-called Precautionary Principle.

The committee unanimously agreed that if there is evidence that a food additive might cause undesirable side affects, the Commission, in consultation with the member states, should take immediate action to ban this substance.

The proposal will now be voted in Plenary and will also need the approval of member states.

The European Food Safety Agency (Efsa) is not of the opinion that azodyes should be banned. Nevertheless, the EFSA study, unlike a study by Southampton University, does not take into account the risk when children get a mix of different azodyes.

The European Parliament voted to regulate the lobbyists in Brussels, who add up to some 15,000.

The rules call for more transparency in the wake of scandals involving lobbyists in the United States and which rocked Washington some time ago.

The European Parliament already has rules that are stricter than those of other parliaments, including a code of conduct and a ban on all gifts.

The new proposals include the compulsory registration of all lobbyists in a common register for all the European institutions, the divulging of financial interests and the provision of sanctions.

As European Socialists, we are stressing the need for a broader agenda in EU-US relations, taking the discussions beyond the economic sphere.

Discussions should also include the possibility of joint action on social issues and the environment.

At the same time, the Transatlantic Economic Council should address issues like the rise of the emerging economies, the food crisis and sustainable energy.

Dr Muscat is a Labour member of the European Parliament and vice president of the economic and monetary affairs committee.

www.josephmuscat.com