An environmental organisation will continue to fight against the extension of the building development zones even though the European Commission found no breach of EU law.
"The matter was short-shifted by the Commission - the Commissioner's term of office was up and, as a result, they gave the matter very little importance and got rid of it," Ramblers Association president Alex Vella told The Sunday Times.
Last week, the Commission wrapped-up a three-year inquiry into the government 2006 rationalisation scheme that increased the amount of agricultural land available for development.
The inquiry was closed after the Commission found there was not enough evidence to prove that the rationalisation exercise, approved by Parliament in 2006, qualified for an environmental assessment under the Strategic Environment Assessment Directive.
But Mr Vella insisted the association would continue to fight against the scheme.
"The criteria on which the scheme is based on is not strong. Resources Minister George Pullicino himself had admitted that certain people were putting pressure on him to include agricultural land in the development zone. This was wrong and was never mentioned by the Commission," he said.
Mr Vella pointed out that the scheme was launched for people who refused to accept Maltese law on development. "The government gave in to political pressure to change the use of green areas when there is no need to continue developing."
The infringement procedure against Malta opened in 2007 after Alternattiva Demokratika and a number of individual citizens had filed complaints.
They had argued that the planning rationalisation process approved by Parliament in 2006 breached EU law because an environmental study known as Strategic Environment Assessment was not carried out.
The Commission had sifted through stacks of reports and studies sent to Brussels by the government to justify its decision.
On the other hand, a five-page report presented by AD argued that the extension exercise should have been subject to the EU directive because of its impact on transport, water use and limited open spaces in Malta.