Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1383989
6 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 16 JUNE 2021 NICOLE MEILAK THE significant risks faced by Frontex and flagged by the Euro- pean Court of Auditors stem from the fact that Frontex was a knee- jerk reaction to the migration cri- sis, auditor Leo Brincat told MPs on Tuesday. The former environment minis- ter, now a member of the Europe- an Court of Auditors, addressed a joint parliamentary committee to discuss the results of an audit report on Frontex's support to ex- ternal border management. During the meeting, he suggest- ed that one of Frontex's primary issues is that it is the result of a knee-jerk reaction to migration pressure. "Frontex was born as a reaction to the strong migration factor that we've had for a while. But when you create an organisation on im- pulse there's a tendency for poli- tics to come before economy and other considerations. That's what we think happened," Brincat said. Brincat is the lead author of a critical audit on Frontex opera- tions that found "significant risk" that Frontex will struggle to carry out its mandate received in 2019. He explained to MPs that the external borders issue isn't being tackled effectively, and that Fron- tex needs to accept and under- stand everyone's situation. "It is troubling that Frontex is being given new responsibilities but at the same time hasn't effec- tively discharged its 2016 duties and obligations," he said. "When we create an organisa- tion, it's important to have design, implementation and monitoring. In our understanding, there were weaknesses right across the board. They were biting more than they can chew," Brincat warned. He added that Frontex tends to operate in a silo, with little to no collaboration with other EU enti- ties. He also noted a major skills mismatch in the allocation of peo- ple throughout the entity. The initial audit from the Euro- pean Court of Auditors concluded that although a functioning infor- mation exchange framework is in place to support the fight against illegal immigration, it did not function well enough to provide accurate, complete and up-to- date situational awareness of the EU's external borders. It also found that Frontex activ- ities were not sufficiently devel- oped to provide effective support to Member States or Shengen countries. Frontex is the EU agency tasked with promoting, coordinating and developing European bor- der management. It was found- ed in 2005, but was rebranded to the European Border and Coast Guard Agency in 2016. Frontex was a knee-jerk reaction to migration, Leo Brincat tells MPs Having led an EU audit report on Frontex, Brincat warned that Frontex was created on impulse, and this is now contributing to its inability to carry out its mandate JAMES DEBONO THE Environment and Planning Review Tribunal has today con- firmed a controversial decision by the Planning Authority to approve a a water polo pitch, a clubhouse, a hall and a 190sq.m restaurant on 2300 sq.m of reclaimed seabed along the M'scala promenade. The development, proposed by the government on behalf of the Maraskala Sports Club, was triggered by the allocation of the national pool in Zonqor for the development of the Ameri- can University of Malta campus. The Zonqor site was transferred to the Jordanian developers along with Dock number One in Bormla through a parliamentary resolution approved in 2015. The project was approved op- posite a residential area on the basis of two policies, one zon- ing the area as an entertainment priority area and one, which considers the development of a yacht marina in the area while specifying that any development should not have any "adverse" impact on nearby residents. The decision was appealed by 12 residents and by Moviment Graffitti. The appellants ques- tioned why other sites includ- ing the Zonqor pool itself and the Sant Antnin plant, which according to government plans is to be relocated to Maghtab, were not considered especially because the pool will be filled with freshwater. They also ques- tioned the lack of consideration to the project's impact on biodi- versity, traffic and residents. In its decision the Tribunal confirmed that the site selection was limited to the coastline and that the only other site, which was considered, was located on the Zonqor side of the coastline, which was excluded due to its ecological value. This was justi- fied because water polo clubs in Malta are built on the coastline. Neither could the government consider the present Zonoor site as this was already allocat- ed to the American University of Malta. The Tribunal also in- sisted that the designation of the area as one where a yacht mari- na could be considered did not exclude other developments like this one. During the board meeting held in July 2020 board member Gilmour Camilleri had raised doubts on the viability of the AUM project on the basis of the low intake of students and called for a postponement of the waterpolo pitch decision until a final decision is taken on whether to proceed with the Żonqor campus. But his appeal was rejected by the majority of board members who voted for the project. EPRT confirms waterpolo pitch along Marsaskala promenade