Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1515545
3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 7 FEBRUARY 2024 NEWS Collapsed building is part of proposed 10-storey hotel CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Another witness who spoke to this newspaper said the build- ing has been in a bad state for a while. Officials from both the Build- ing and Construction Authori- ty (BCA) and the Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) are also onsite. Collapsed building part of proposed hotel The collapsed building forms part of the site of a proposed ten storey hotel with 116 rooms which was given final approval by the Planning Authority in 2023 following changes to an earlier permit issued in 2020. The permit was issued to de- veloper Kris Calleja proposed the demolition of the existing buildings and the dismantling of the facade which was to be re-erected at a later stage. Part of the site had already been excavated following the issue of the first permit. The clearance to commence the works for the demolition of the last houses was issued by the Building and Construction Authority in November. A method statement present- ed by architect Colin Zammit in August states that piles will be necessary to stabilise third party buildings and prepare foundations that are on solid rock. The report warns that the ma- terial between the piles should not be removed and should not be allowed to dry. The ad- jacent houses were inspected and photographed before the start of the works. The report states that the area is known for its "weak geological strata" especially in the first 3 meters below ground. Following the incident a stop notice was issued by the BCA to stop all works except to ren- der the site and street safe. Isabelle Bonnici reacts Later on Tuesday, Isabelle Bonnici who had fought for a public inqiury into the death of her son Jean Paul Sofia after a construction site collapse, stat- ed on Facebook, "Here we go again." "Must we wait for a report from the public inquiry before we do something?" Bonnici fur- ther questioned whether those on the Gżira construction site were qualified to work there, and whether or not the site ar- chitect carried out his duties. "Who is going to be responsi- ble for this serious failing?" Bonnici then asked the con- struction reforms minister, Jonathan Attard to provide the public with the necessary in- formation into the case. Additional reporting by James Debono & Matthew Farrugia CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Abela briefed parliament on last week's special European Council meeting, where leaders discussed support for Ukraine, the situation in the Middle east, and chal- lenges in the agricultural sector following a farmers' strike in Brussels. Abela was critical of the EU in his speech, insisting that European bureau- crats were making insensitive decisions from the comfort of their Brussels offic- es without understanding the impact of directives and regulations on people and the economy. "The streets of Brussels were dominated by farmers protesting European regula- tions drafted by institutions that are being accused, and sometimes I think rightly so, of being cut off from citizens and reality." Abela acknowledged a parallel farmers' protest organised in Malta a day after the Council meeting, mentioning that he used the opportunity to meet with farm- ers directly. "I spoke with farmers because I believe it is important to hear what's bothering them. Even if their issues are more tied to regulations drafted by the European Commission." The prime minister took issue with EU regulations on the maritime and trans- port sector, claiming that European insti- tutions are often "more interested in what looks good on paper than what makes sense". "Oftentimes we end up with perverse legislation that has to be challenged in court," he said. Abela also called out the EU's han- dling of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, contrasting it to the response to the Ukraine-Russia war. "Contrary to the situation in Ukraine, where we adopted conclusions at almost every Council meeting and consistently spoke out on what was happening, when it comes to the Middle East, the Council hasn't pronounced itself since October," he said. "It's as if the humanitarian situation in Gaza does not interest us. I was very clear on this during the Council meeting." Abela also said the EU has the appro- priate tools to take action in the Gaza conflict. "It's a question of will; of will- ingness from all European institutions. More needs to be done with regard to the humanitarian situation in the Middle East and Gaza." In his ministerial response, Opposition leader Bernard Grech questioned wheth- er Abela's tone is consistent with that used when speaking with other EU lead- ers at Council meetings. "Where was this government when these laws were being drafted at EU level? Was this government attacking EU insti- tutions while boasting of making strong EU-funded investments?" he said. Grech accused Abela of oversimplifying the challenges faced by Maltese farmers as solely the result of EU shortcomings, suggesting that this might not be the case. PN MP Beppe Fenech Adami said he was disgusted by the way Abela made his ministerial statement. He highlighted discrepancies between the government's rhetoric of listening to farmers and its subsidies for frozen food imports under the price stability scheme Stabbiltà. Fenech Adami, like Grech, also accused Abela of adopting different tones in Brus- sels versus local ministerial statements. "You shouldn't be using the post-sum- mit statement as a partisan tool to score political points," he said. Tensions escalated during Abela's coun- ter-statement, where he sought to dis- credit the Nationalist Party on agriculture by alleging that the lawyer representing Grech and his party was also involved in evicting farmers from their land. Additionally, Abela argued that certain actions at EU-level inadvertently lent credibility to Israel's response to Hamas in Gaza after the October 7 attack in southern Israel. Grech felt this was an in- sinuation that a visit to Israel by Europe- an Parliament president Roberta Metsola, who is also a Nationalist MEP, gave Israel justification for its actions in Gaza. Abela 'oversimplifying' challenges faced by farmers, Bernard Grech says