James Debono
In the coming weeks, the European Commission is expected to decide whether or not to launch infringement proceedings against Malta, after the Maltese government approved an extension of development boundaries without conducting a Strategic Impact Assessment.
For the past months the Commission has been investigating whether the extension of development boundaries was in breach of the Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA) Directive.
“The Commission is still assessing the material at its disposal on this issue. This assessment is in the final stages and we should shortly decide which next step to take, whether to launch infringement proceedings against Malta or close the complaint case,” a spokesperson for the commission told MaltaToday.
The SEA Directive states clearly that modifications to already approved plans that have an environmental impact should be submitted to an environment impact assessment. The Maltese government contends that the Directive does not apply because the local plan process started before the directive came in to force.
jdebono@mediatoday |
