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3 News maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 30 OCTOBER 2013 Proposed declaration to European Commission on children's rights LABOUR MEP Marlene Mizzi presented the European Parliament with a written declaration on the protection of the right of minors to maintain a meaningful relationship with both parents, even if the latter were legally separated or divorced. The declaration, written with MEPs from the different political groups, urges the European Commission to raise awareness of the right that every child has, in conformity with the Charter of Fundamental Rights, to maintain on a regular basis a personal relationship and direct contact with both his or her parents, unless that is contrary to his or her interests. "Children's rights should always be on the forefront of our agenda. It is worrying that children become trapped in their parents' fights. Children should have the full opportunity to hold a good relationship with both parents," Mizzi said. The written declaration will be made available for three months for other Europarliamentarians to sign. Once a majority is obtained, the declaration will be passed on to European institutions for action. Mizzi said that society in general should ensure that children do not suffer harsh consequences of Marlene Mizzi adults' decisions. The declaration states that across the EU, too many separated fathers and mothers are denied the right to maintain a meaningful relationship with their children, when sole custody is granted to the other parent. "This has a negative impact both on the life of the child and on that of the 'excluded' parent," the declaration adds. Siggiewi residents angry over poor waste collection system TIM ATTARD MONTALTO MANY Siggiewi residents are furious that the locality's waste collection management is not doing its job on a regular basis, according to one resident, Joe Catania. Catania, whose house is located on Triq il-Buskett, close to the cart ruts and Clapham Junction (Misrah Ghar il-Kbir), is a permanent resident of the UK but often comes down to Malta. Catania, who contacted MaltaToday this morning, claimed that the rubbish has not been collected since Thursday of last week, and said that the issue had been going on for some time prior to that, too. "Apart from Thursday of last week, the rubbish has not been collected for two whole weeks," he said. "It is a shame that the Siggiewi council is neglecting such a historic place like this," he said. Catania said that when he contacted the local council, he was informed that the contractor had recently been changed and that the Animal cemetery proposed at Ta' Qali new contractor was not yet fully aware of the particular addresses he had to visit. When contacted by MaltaToday though, Nikol Baldacchino – secretary of the Siggiewi local council – said that the new contractor only started work last Monday. Instead, he placed blame on the previous contractor who, he said, was doing a lacklustre job in the final days before the termination of his contract. "I admit that the garbage collector was not doing a good job. We have addressed this issue and can reassure residents that, with a new contractor now in place, these issues should not arise," he said. On being told that, according to residents, the issue has been going on for some time, Baldacchino said that the council was not obliged to collect the waste of persons who were not residing in Malta permanently. He said that this could be the problem in Catania's particular case. Baldacchino did stress though that the waste management system in Siggiewi was sure to improve with a new contractor in place. While Stephen King's 'Pet Sematary' [sic] does not bode well for the idea, government has just approved the construction of a cat and dog cemetery in Ta' Qali. Inset: a blueprint of the plans The development is set to take place in an Outside Development Zone known as Ta' San Gakbu in Ta' Qali. The development will include a cemetery gate, a back storeroom and an area for graves covered with trees in what looks to be a replica of a human cemetery. The proposal includes a well to absorb rain water runoff. The development will not result in the uprooting of any existing trees or demolition of rubble walls. The proposal for an animal cem- JAMES DEBONO THE death of a furry friend is never welcome, but a recently announced government initiative will strive to make the process at least a little bit more dignified. According to a planning application presented by the Ministry for the Environment on 19 October, a 1,700 square metre agricultural field has been identified by the government for the development of a dog and cat cemetery. etery was proposed in Labour's electoral manifesto before the election. The previous government had excluded such a development as this deemed to be in breach of EU regulations. "What you can do is cremate the animal in Marsa and bury its ashes. But you definitely cannot have a public animal cemetery," former Minister George Pullicino replied in a parliamentary question in 2002. Presently, an owner may bury a dead pet on their property, as long as this is done only occasionally. CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 Direct orders accumulated to €240,432 AT the same time, the Office of the Prime Minister had a person employed whose responsibility was to take care of logistics. Although the figures may appear to be relatively low when compared to other direct orders – ranging between as low as €35 to as high as €27,534 – the 108 direct orders accumulated the princely sum of €240,432. Only six direct orders, amounting to €3,347, were not issued by the OPM. The highest number of direct orders, 35, were awarded in 2010 amounting to €60,485. In 2012, Borg received €96,635 for 22 direct orders while in 2011 he received €52,659 for 27 contracts. Formerly employed by the Nationalist Party, Borg used to take care of logistics during electoral campaigns and other political activities. CHRISTMAS MARKETS 8-13 December 11-16 December BAVARIA RHINE VALLEY From From €472 €489 per person in triple* Visitng: Wurzburg, Nuremberg, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Regensburg & Frankfurt 4, St. Publius Street, Floriana FRN1443, Malta E W: hamiltontravel.com.mt T: 21241292 / 21249543 / 21235878 F: 21226430 per person in triple* Visiting: Cologne, Dortmund, Bonn, Dusseldorf & Wiesbaden

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