Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1022495
maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 5 SEPTEMBER 2018 7 NEWS situation of urgency to fill the post of Secretary-General was created artificially. Even then, this should not have prevented the Commission from launching a procedure to identify and evaluate pos- sible candidates for Secre- tary-General before Italianer would retire. Malta praise Some kind words of sup- port for the all-powerful Ger- man Selmayr, who is report- edly dubbed "the monster" by his own boss, came from a spokesperson for Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Mus- cat, who said critics are "tar- geting" someone who has changed the Commission in- to a better-functioning body. "Martin Selmayr has given the European Commission new impetus, turning it from a cold technocractic machine churning out regulations, into an efficient one willing to listen and find solutions where solutions are possible and not in breach of the Eu- ropean values. He is a true European," the spokesperson told MaltaToday in a com- ment on the unfolding saga back in March. "In Martin, Malta found a tough negotiator but also one willing to listen and dia- logue. Together with Presi- dent Juncker, he was one of the most vocal in promoting solidarity on migration. Dur- ing the Maltese Presidency he was also a real point of contact from the Commis- sion side when negotiations became crucial. His role dur- ing Brexit, keeping the EU27 united, is also something that merits a lot of credit." Selmayr himself devised the plan of how many migrants should be taken in by each member state during the exo- dus of Syrian asylum seekers into Eastern Europe – mak- ing enemies of these states; and recently was suspected of leaking embarrassing details on Brexit talks during the UK elections in May. Malta's spokesperson, how- ever, feels Selmayr has made the Commission more po- litically sensitive to getting things done, a hat tip to his reputation as a fearsome mi- cro-manager. "His ways have turned the Commission to work more like a government and there- fore understanding the spe- cial circumstances that other governments find themselves in when dealing with the heavy bureaucracy of the EU. Juncker's team is strong and pragmatic. Targeting Martin Selmayr will only help those who do not want the Com- mission to function as effi- ciently and pragmatically as it has done in the past years." Hungary, which like Malta has been the subject of a 'rule of law' dressing-down, has instead accused Brussels of double standards. "We see that preaching about the rule of law and following the guidelines or the rules is not authentic when it is coming from the Commission," gov- ernment spokesperson Zol- tán Kovács told a press brief- ing in Brussels. mvella@mediatoday.com.mt must develop 'Selmayrgate' Selmayr's appointment became a matter of intrigue in Brussels, which had critics accusing the bloc of introducing greater German control of several of the EU's institutions JAMES DEBONO ROAD widening works at Telgha t'Alla u Ommu which commenced yesterday were approved in February after eight years in the planning limbo prolonged by concerns on the area's archaeological and ecological importance. The works will widen part of the existing road from 4.6 me- tres to 8.8 metres to introduce another traffic lane. In 2011 the Superintend- ence of Cultural Heritage ac- knowledged that the works "run through the Victoria Lines" and will take place "in the vicinity of historical for- tifications". The site was also deemed to have "archaeologi- cal potential". But the Super- intendence did not object to the granting of the permit if the works are monitored by an archaeologist and the presen- tation of a detailed construc- tion method statement. The development will af- fect an area of approximately 578sq.m. The Environment Protection Directorate (which has now been replace by ERA) had expressed concern on the proposed uptake of land, es- pecially in view of the possible spillage into the nearby garigue environment. The PA's internal panel on Natural Heritage issues had also objected, noting that the proposal would take up and destroy about 300 metres of land in a proposed Area of Ecological Importance (level 2) and Area of High Landscape Value. Although proposed for scheduling, this land was never actually granted protection. The road, which is one of the principal road links between the northern and central parts of Malta, linking St Paul's Bay, Maghtab and Burmarrad to Mosta and the Birguma area of Naxxar, currently poses difficulties to road users, as they are forced to merge into one lane before the Birguma roundabout. The project will be widening this narrow part of the car- riageway to open up the sec- ond lane and improve its ap- proach to the roundabout. The upgrade will include construction of the new lane's foundation, rebuilding the road's footpaths, walls to ac- commodate the two-lane alignment and a new asphalt road surface. Telgha t'Alla u Ommu widening 'runs through' Victoria Lines Victoria Lines marked in light blue. Extent of road extension marked in black