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Matthew Vella
With more EU Directives and the end of transitional periods, Malta’s new year will be seeing changes in its laws to transpose the plethora of Directives scheduled for 2005, as well as getting closer to a more liberalised economy.
It will in fact be the last year before the importation of fuel will be liberalised, currently still under the monopoly of Enemalta. The change will allow other companies to compete with Enemalta Corporation. A derogation was accepted by the EU to have Malta wait until 2006 to fully liberalise the sector when during negotiations it was agreed the issue was not simply an energy issue but also a competition one.
This will also be the last year before Malta will have to reduce the emissions of the Delimara Power Station to EU levels in the case of emissions of nitrogen oxide and dust. By the end of 2005, Malta will also have to have taken the necessary action to reach targets on nitrates and fluorides in drinking water.
As for waste packaging, Malta now has to reach the EU’s minimum 25 per cent target to recycle all packaging waste, except plastics which are under a longer transition period to 2009, although Malta remains far behind the EU targets which lay down that between 50 and 65 per cent of packaging waste by weight should be recovered.
Maltese cars will now have to be fully liable for general Vehicle Road Worthiness testing when the test will be extended to all remaining tests, including suspension and the car’s general conditions. The end of the derogation means that by January 2005, Malta will have had to introduce full VRT testing.
EU law also requires that speed limitation devices are fitted on vehicles that are used for the carriage of passengers and that have a maximum weight exceeding 10 metric tons, and for vehicles used for the carriage of goods. By the end of 2005, these vehicles cannot be used on the road unless they are fitted with the devices.
By the end of 2005, Malta will introduce minimum taxes to be charged on heavy vehicles, forming part of an EU-wide tax for the use of roads by heavy vehicles.
By February 2005, greater public access to environmental information will ensure more transparency when a Directive will be introduced to guarantee the right of access to information held by public authorities, free of any charge.
That same month, Malta will have to endorse the minimum standards for the reception of asylum seekers. New rules demand Member States to inform asylum seekers, within a reasonable time not exceeding fifteen days after they have lodged their application for asylum, of at least any established benefits and obligations with which they must comply relating to reception conditions.
Asylum seekers will also have to be furnished with a document certifying their status as an asylum seeker three days after applying for refugee status. New laws governing family reunification will also aid refugees to obtain similar status for their family in the case of bona fide applications.
New laws will also be introduced designed to curb the advertising and sponsorship of tobacco products. Advertising in the press and other printed publications shall be limited to publications intended exclusively for professionals in the tobacco trade or publications not intended for the Community market. All forms of radio advertising for tobacco products will be prohibited.
Stronger laws will be introduced in the fields of employment and social affairs, with respect to the principle of equal treatment for men and women as regards access to employment, vocational training and promotion, and working conditions.
matthew@newsworksltd.com
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