Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1521091
10 OPINION maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 22 MAY 2024 Peter Agius is a PN MEP election candidate Peter Agius AS we approach summer, many people start to think about the time they will spend with family and friends on the beach. How- ever, the government is compro- mising our summer enjoyment as untreated sewage continues to be disposed of in the sea. Just this week the Environ- mental Health Directorate is- sued a warning that swimming at St George's Bay was not rec- ommended because of sewage. A similar warning was issued a week earlier in St Paul's Bay. Last year, nine beaches were reported to have been contam- inated with sewage. Malta is currently facing legal proceed- ings at the European Court of Justice for disposing of untreat- ed sewage in the sea, particu- larly in Mellieha and Xaghra. There is a risk that Malta may face millions of euros in fines. Following several complaints from private citizens, I have taken action by bringing the matter to the attention of the Auditor General to conduct a performance audit on how €70 million of EU funding for sew- age treatment has been spent, yet bays are still being closed due to sewage contamination. Unfortunately, we may expect more such closures this sum- mer due to the government's incompetence. The problem of sewage on our beaches will most likely persist for another three summers. In the ongoing case at the European Court of Justice, the Maltese Govern- ment is telling the European Commission that Malta's sew- age problem will take until 2027 to resolve, aligning with EU laws on water quality. This is unacceptable. We joined the EU to achieve the highest environmental stand- ards, but the current gov- ernment has, as the Maltese saying goes, literally thrown these standards into the sea. It is useless to have Marine Pro- tected Areas as part of the EU network of Natura 2000 sites. It is useless to have EU reports based on data from the Maltese government stating that our seas are among the cleanest in Europe. The reality is that our sea is becoming less clean and more polluted. This is far from being the best in Europe. If elected as an MEP, I will push for EU standards to be ef- fectively enforced. This is one of my key priorities. Labour MEPs want to keep European standards on paper because they prefer to cover up for their government instead of protect- ing citizens' interests. This is why it is fundamental for the PN to win more seats in the European Parliament, to en- sure further scrutiny on a gov- ernment for which the precari- ous state of the environment is its least concern. Just recently, I joined a debate with Arnold Cassola and Sandra Gauci or- ganised by FAA, Ghawdix, and Malta-Arch. Labour's candi- date, Thomas Bajada, failed to turn up. This shows how little Labour cares about the envi- ronmental challenges Malta faces, many of which result from a decade of bad policies adopted by Labour. Case in point is their lack of foresight in economic policies. The rise in population has negatively impacted the environment and the quality of life for citizens. Overpopulation is one of the reasons why our seas are con- taminated with sewage. I am committed to address- ing environmental challenges in Malta and opposing projects that are not in the commu- nity's interest. This is what I did when Robert Abela's gov- ernment proposed a marina in Marsaskala Bay. Together with local councillors and thanks to the efforts of residents and NGOs, the government aban- doned the plan, officially with- drawing the policy endorsing the development of a yacht ma- rina in Marsaskala. This is also what I did when a proposal was made to construct a solar farm on agricultural land in Mgarr. Not because I am against in- vestment in alternative sources of energy, but because we can't jeopardise the limited terrain vital for our food security. I was also on the side of residents re- garding the relocation of a ce- Three more summers of sewage in our seas In the ongoing case at the European Court of Justice, the Maltese Government is telling the European Commission that Malta's sewage problem will take until 2027 to resolve, aligning with EU laws on water quality