Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1540705
4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 26 OCTOBER 2025 NEWS EXPRESSION OF INTEREST The Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Public Cleanliness noofies that it is receiving expressions of interest during the Christmas in the Park event for: Arrsans Children's acrvires and games Decorarons and/or Sustainable giiing Food, desserts and beverages Food, desserts and beverages This event will be held at Salini Park between the 12 and the 21 of December 2025 as shown below: 12 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 of December from 17:00 to 21:00. 13 , 14 , 20 and 21 of December from 12:30 to 21:00. L The applicaoon forms for these expressions of interest can be downloaded from: www.sustainability.gov.mt/resources/ For more informaoon, call on 23316202 or send an email on infoscu.meec@gov.mt The closing date for the submissions of these expressions of interest is Friday, 7 November 2025 at 10:00. Late submissions will not be considered. Late submissions will not be considered. th st th st th th th th th th th th th Sammy Meilaq backs planning protest: 'Citizens need protection from construction gangsters' FORMER General Workers' Union official Sammy Meilaq has endorsed the protest against government's planning reform, expected on budget day outside parliament. Meilaq said ordinary citizens required protection from the "gangsters" of the construc- tion industry, insisting the pro- posed reforms were anything but that. "These are the gangsters caus- ing earthquakes for ordinary citizens; they disregard health and safety laws, are not inter- ested in the environment and do this in the name of greed," Meilaq said in a recorded vid- eo message. He then listed the seven instances since 2019 where construction activity caused the collapse of neigh- bouring buildings. "These are not merely acci- dents; these are the result of a lack of regulation and a lack of enforcement," Meilaq said. He urged Prime Minister Robert Abela to dump the two planning bills, currently before parliament, and instead pro- pose better protections for cit- izens. "If Robert Abela wants to do something right, he should do the opposite of these laws. To start with he should dump them in the dustbin," Meilaq said. He added: "It would be a big historical mistake [if the prime minister forged ahead]; a stain on the economy, on the Labour Party and on him per- sonally." A coalition of green groups calling itself Ġustizzja għal Artna, will on Monday hold a protest outside parliament, while Finance Minister Clyde Caruana reads out the budget for next year. This will be the second such protest in less than a month against the proposed reforms, which have been heavily criti- cised by environmental organ- isations and residence groups. Ġustizzja għal Artna is calling for the immediate withdrawal of two planning bills and legal notices that were tabled in par- liament just before the summer recess. The Nationalist Party has also called for the bills to be with- drawn. The reforms have been de- scribed by the coalition as a "Damocles' sword" that would dismantle safeguards against overdevelopment, weaken ju- dicial oversight, and effectively grant amnesty for illegal con- struction carried out up to last year. The groups argue that the measures would make it nearly impossible for citizens to ap- peal or overturn illegal plan- ning decisions. Organisers say the timing of the protest, coinciding with the budget presentation, is intend- ed to send a clear message that "this is not business as usual". The Ġustizzja għal Artna campaign brings together sev- eral major NGOs and envi- ronmental groups, including BirdLife Malta, Din l-Art Ħel- wa, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħ- jar, Friends of the Earth Malta, Moviment Graffitti, and Na- ture Trust – FEE Malta, among others. MaltaToday has endorsed the Ġustizzja għal Artna campaign. Former GWU militant and Labour stalwart Sammy Meilaq endorses planning reform protest on budget day, insisting the prime minister should dump the bills in the dustbin KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt Former General Workers' Union official Sammy Meilaq "These are the gangsters causing earthquakes for ordinary citizens; they disregard health and safety laws, are not interested in the environment and do this in the name of greed," Meilaq said in a recorded video message.