PN says government removed protected status for marine zone after sewage treatment failure

The Nationalist Party has criticised government for what it described as a failure to address Malta’s sewage crisis, instead opting to remove environmental protections from a sensitive marine area.

During a press conference on Wednesday, shadow ministers Rebekah Borg, Ryan Callus and Joe Giglio accused government of neglecting years of warnings and legal obligations, following a European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling in October 2024 that found Malta in breach of EU directives for failing to properly treat sewage being discharged into the sea.

The ECJ pointed to failures at the Ta’ Barkat and Ċumnija treatment plants, which it found were unable to handle increasing demand and lacked proper monitoring. The opposition noted that government had been aware of these shortcomings since at least 2016, having admitted the situation to European institutions. 

According to the PN, the problem extends beyond the treatment plants themselves. “The entire sewage distribution network is outdated and cannot cope.”

The PN said that in December 2024, shortly after the ECJ ruling, government removed the “sensitive area” classification from the coastal waters near the Ċumnija plant. 

The opposition questioned the timing and motivation behind this move, suggesting it was intended to weaken legal requirements rather than resolve the issue.

The PN promised to continue advocating for residents, workers, and the tourism sector, arguing that access to a clean sea should be treated as a fundamental right.

PL responds

Later on Wednesday, the Labour Party said that the PN is “engaged in a desperate attempt to sell the lie that the quality of seawater in Malta is not good.”

It noted that the European Environment Agency classified 92% of Maltese beaches as having excellent quality, while another 8% had a good and satisfactory level.

The governing party noted that government is investing to improve water quality, and “the irony is that the PN always opposes such investment, as it is doing in the case of iċ-Ċumnija in Mellieħa.”