Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1545453
GozoToday is a weekly newspaper focused primarily on Gozo. It hopes to serve as a source of information on business, culture, entertainment and of course current affairs. Gozo has a special charm about it but it is also a bustling Island with an identity of its own. GozoToday is published every Friday and is available to numerous outlets in Gozo and on the ferries that carry so many visitors to Gozo from Malta and beyond. GozoToday MediaToday Co. Ltd, Vjal ir-Rihan San Gwann SGN 9016 ASSISTANT EDITOR: LAURA CALLEJA Tel: (356) 21 382741-3, 21 382745-6 Website: www.maltatoday.com.mt E-mail: lcalleja@mediatoday.com.mt 3 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 19 JUNE 2026 NEWS WITH the casual election process now over, the composition of Par- liament has been finalised. District 13, Gozo, will now be represented by a mix of government ministers, opposition figures and MPs who entered through different routes. The Nationalist Party (PN) will be represented by Alex Borg, Norma Camilleri, Frank Anthony Tabone and Beppe Galea, while the Labour Party (PL) will have Clint Camilleri, Anton Refalo and Jo Etienne Abela representing Gozo. Gozo will have three ministers, alongside the Leader of the Oppo- sition. Clint Camilleri remains Minister for Gozo. Anton Refalo will serve as Min- ister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, while Jo Etienne Abela takes on the role of Minister for Tour- ism, both key portfolios for the island. The PN delegation from Gozo includes Alex Borg, the leader of the Nationalist Party. Nor- ma Camilleri joins Parliament through the gender mechanism, while Frank Anthony Tabone en- tered through the proportionality mechanism. Both mechanisms contributed to shaping the final composition of the House. Be- ppe Galea completes the PN rep- resentation from Gozo. Here are the representatives for Gozo Clint Camilleri, Minister for Gozo Anton Refalo, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Jo Etienne Abela, Minister for Tourism Alex Borg, Opposition Leader Beppe Galea, MP Frank Anthony Tabone, MP Norma Camilleri, MP Minister Elected through the gender mechanism Elected through the proportionality mechanism LAURA CALLEJA lcalleja@mediatoday.com.mt CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 Din l-Art Ħelwa said the farmhouse formed part of the cultural setting of the Ġgan- tija Temples and argued that its removal diminishes the in- tegrity of the wider protected buffer zone. The organisation stressed that vernacular farm- houses in such areas are not merely redundant structures but essential components of the historic rural environment. It also noted with concern that no appeal had been lodged against the Planning Authori- ty's permit for the project. While the NGO maintained that the approval decision was flawed, it acknowledged that the absence of a formal appeal meant the case was not sub- jected to further review, poten- tially missing an opportunity to reassess the site's heritage value. Calleja also raised concerns about enforcement procedures during the demolition, stat- ing that works appeared not to follow the approved meth- od statement requiring careful dismantling by hand. He said intervention by authorities came only after much of the structure had already been re- moved, followed by a stop no- tice and a subsequent clearance issued within days. He argued that the case high- lights deeper weaknesses in heritage protection and en- forcement, warning that the continued loss of vernacular buildings is depriving future generations of their cultural in- heritance and diminishing the identity of Malta and Gozo's rural landscape. The incident is expected to renew debate over planning enforcement, regulatory over- sight, and the protection of cultural heritage within sensi- tive UNESCO buffer zones. Reporting by Laura Calleja Vernacular farmhouse in the Gantija Temples buffer zone: Not merely a redundant structure, but an essential component Ggantija Temples