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maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 19 MARCH 2014 News 4 JURGEN BALZAN THE Malta Environment and Plan- ning Authority yesterday launched the 'Strategic Plan for Environment and Development' (SPED), which the au- thority's chairman said "goes beyond the existing structure plan which was adopted in 1992". The plan presents new challenges, MEPA chairman Vince Cassar said, adding that it "reflects government's environmental policies." The consul- tation process on the draft plan ends in May and the authority will present its final proposal to government a month later. Parliamentary secretary Michael Farrugia noted that SPED will provide government guidelines and a direc- tion on the country's changing eco- nomic and social landscape. However, he added that the plan would also take into consideration government's targets such as making Malta a maritime and aviation hub. "SPED includes the government's objectives," Farrugia said, adding that other policies introduced by govern- ment will not be overlooked. SPED deals with generic policies regulating development on both land and sea, and sets the framework for any revision of the local plans and other more specific policies. But instead of waiting for the finali- sation of the structure plan revision, the current administration decided to reduce the present seven local plans to three generic plans. Farrugia insisted that "SPED is not a local plan" but a policy which pro- vides the country with a direction in development and environmental pro- tection. Transport, climate change, Gozo and economic growth are among the themes the new structure plan deals with. However under the Labour ad- ministration, MEPA has also decided to create new planning policies on various themes, ranging from fire- works establishments and agritour- ism to petrol stations. MEPA official Joseph Gauci said that the plan has been three years in the making and stressed that SPED is a framework policy on the use of land and sea. The national spatial framework pro- vides an integrated spatial dimension for government's policy, Gauci said. He added that the plan extends MEPA's jurisdiction from the current 12 nautical miles of the coast to 25 nautical miles. Coastal areas Despite initial reluctance, MEPA has accepted the recommendation by planning ombudsman David Pace for a specific framework regulating the development of the coast and sur- rounding seas. This should ensure that any land reclamation project would be subject to a Strategic Environmental Assess- ment (SEA) as required by EU law. The draft plan proposes that recrea- tional use of coastal and marine areas should remain a priority. "The principle of public access in coastal and marine areas will remain, including in land reclamation," Farru- gia said, stressing that the law will be enforced. Coastal and marine areas are a recognised component of the spa- tial structure of the Maltese islands, recognised in the objectives issued in 2012 for the Strategic Plan for Envi- ronment and Development. Land reclamation Land reclamation is one of the plan's priorities and Farrugia said the plan does not exclude any locations but in principle SPED says that land recla- mation projects would "support socio- economic growth." The parliamentary secretary added that for this reason, a Strategic Envi- ronmental Assessment (SEA) will be held to determine the environmental and socio-economic impact of such principles. 21 land reclamation pro- posals will see a government commit- tee evaluating a new series of mega- projects that range from a motorsport racing track, to floating villages, busi- ness centres and hotel resorts. Bidders for land reclamation projects signed a confidentiality agreement in which they acknowledged the govern- ment's discretion as to whether or not it issues a competitive tender after the initial bids are analysed by the Gov- ernment Property Division. They had to pay a €5,000 fee for the expression of interest, and were bound by a confidentiality agreement not to disclose any information contained in the EOI documents to third parties for the next three years. GENERAL PROGRAMME SOLIDARITY & MANAGEMENT OF MIGRATION FLOWS 2007-2013 Request for Participation is part-financed from the European Union External Border Funds (EBF) Co-financing rate: 75% EU Funds: 25% National Funds Sustainable Management of Migration Flows MEPA' new structure plan 'reflects' government's policies PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ATTARD MUT and ITS at loggerheads over ministry transfer DANIEL MIZZI JUST weeks after MaltaToday ex- posed a rift between the teachers' union and the ministry-run Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS), a petition spearheaded by a former union del- egate is seeking to rebuff the union's calls for the institute to be reinstated under the education ministry port- folio. Speaking to this newspaper, Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) president Kevin Bonello had lambasted the government's decision to place the tourism school under the tourism ministry's responsibility – a move heavily derided by Bonello himself who is insisting that the school is now going "downhill" and that the ministry is "inept" at running the school. However, after MaltaToday uncov- ered the tumultuous relationship between the teachers' union and the ITS administration, Ray Vas- sallo, a member of the academic staff and an MUT delegate, collected 29 signatures aiming to disassociate "the majority of the ITS staff" from Bonello's comments. "The petition was launched to prove that Kevin Bonello's com- ments do not reflect the opinion of the majority of the staff. Conversely, the staff believes that ITS should remain under the tourism ministry portfolio," Vassallo told MaltaToday. However, the petition is tainted with controversy, with sources claiming that teachers were coerced into signing the petition and accus- ing Ray Vassallo of having an ulterior motive. In addition, Vassallo's decision to start the petition landed him in hot water as he was immediately sus- pended from his post as MUT del- egate. Citing a "conflict of interest" between Vassallo's work as an MUT delegate and the petition, the teach- ers' union said his position was no longer tenable. The administration of the tour- ism institute and the teachers' union have recently been at loggerheads, with the latter accusing government- appointed Chairman Ernest Azzop- ardi of ruling with an iron fist and of partaking in the running of the school – even though he is not au- thorised to do so. Sources have claimed that Ray Vassallo was critical of the previous administration, but after Labour's electoral victory and subsequent decision to place ITS under the tour- ism ministry portfolio, his criticism became mute, fuelling rumours that the petition was directed by the chairman. "We [the MUT] and Ray Vassallo never saw eye to eye on issues per- taining to the ITS. It is nevertheless quite puzzling as to what motivated this petition and whether he wants to protect someone. Nothing can be excluded," Bonello said when asked whether there is an ulterior motive behind the petition. Sources, as well as the MUT presi- dent, have also claimed that a tour- ism ministry official was personally phoning academic staff to encour- age them to sign the petition and that the petition itself was penned by the same official – claims which a spokesperson for the tourism min- istry rebutted. On reports that staff members were coerced into signing the peti- tion, Bonello said the MUT received several staff complaints of being tricked into signing the petition. "Several staff members have com- plained to the union because they were not given the full details of the petition, while others were found alone to sign the petition and asked to ask 'because everybody else had done so'," Bonello said. Bonello also argued that this is not the first time that the staff had com- plained about Vassallo, as the latter was self-appointed as MUT delegate. Sources have confirmed that no election committee had sanctioned his appointment, while other candi- dates did not have an opportunity to present their candidature for MUT delegate. On his part, Vassallo denied claims that he coerced staff into signing the petition and underlined that he only had one motive: that of safeguarding the interests of the institute and the staff. "These allegations are a blatant lie. The sole agenda of the petition is to show that the majority of the staff do not want the ITS to be reinstated under the education ministry port- folio," Vassallo argued. MEPA chairman Vince Cassar (centre) said the plan presents "new challenges"

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