Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1481540
15 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 12 OCTOBER 2022 NEWS JAMES DEBONO MALTA may be the smallest EU country but it is also the country where people have to walk most to reach the nearest open space. A Eurobarometer survey re- veals that the Maltese are the most likely in Europe to report having to walk more than half an hour to reach the nearest green space. While only 3% of all EU re- spondents reported having to walk more than 30 minutes, in Malta 21% reported having to walk the same distance. And while 50% of all European live within a 5-minute distance of the nearest green space, in Malta only 22% report living in such proximity to green spaces. In this aspect only the Roma- nians, 16% of which live within a five-minute walk of a green space, are worse off than the Maltese. In contrast 85% of Finns live within a five-minute walk of a green space. Even in Cyprus which has a similar climate to Malta, 42% live five minutes away from a green space. The survey shows that 24% of Maltese respondents live be- tween 11 to 20 minutes away from a green space. A large majority of Europe- an respondents (85%) say that they are satisfied with the qual- ity of the green space nearest to their home. In Malta only 62% report being satisfied. And while only 2% of all EU respondents are very dissat- isfied with the quality of the nearest green space, dissatis- faction runs at 16% in Malta. Slovenians are the most sat- isfied about the quality of the nearest green space in Europe with 68% reporting being very satisfied followed by the Danes 63% of which are also very sat- isfied. At the other end of the scale the Maltese are the most likely to report being very dis- satisfied (16%). This information emerged from a survey on fairness and the European green transition, which was conducted in all EU member states in June, with the results being published on Monday. Incredible but true: For 21% of Maltese, it takes more than 30 minutes to reach the nearest green space in contrast to just 3% of all EU respondents. James Debono looks at the findings of a Eurobarometer survey Green spaces more distant in tiny Malta How long does it take you to walk from your home to the nearest green space? Living within a 5-minute walk of a green space