Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/540322
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 12 JULY 2015 18 News CONVENTIONAL wisdom has it that floating voters tend to be more educated people. And more educated people tend to be more sensitive to environmental issues. On its own, this should make Joseph Muscat cautious in his dealings with environmentalists. But events in the past days indicate that the PM is not just ignoring en- vironmentalists – he is wilfully an- tagonising them. NGOs are already disturbed by amendments to the Strategic Plan for the Environment and Planning (SPED), which effectively creates loopholes for ODZ development when this is considered "sustain- able" or when development within development zones is not "feasi- ble". Moreover, the SPED does not even include concrete enforceable policies. In fact the document is made up of a discussion document issued by the previous government to which the Labour government has added a number of projects like the Gozo airstrip, land reclama- tion, and tourism development in Comino, whose approval has now been facilitated. A 24-hour job Environmental NGOs were dumbstruck on Monday after be- ing given a 24-hour notice for a meeting due for the next day dur- ing which they were expected to submit their feedback on three voluminous laws to parliament's committee for the environment and development. The Environment Bill is 76 pag- es long with 86 clauses, each of which has numerous sub-clauses and three schedules, the new Plan- ning Bill is 98 pages long with 105 clauses and four schedules, and the Bill setting up a new Tribunal is 50 pages long with 55 clauses and several sub-clauses. The three laws were published on the parliamentary website on Friday, 3rd July and made avail- able on the government website on Monday, 6th July. All this had to be discussed at a 150-minute meeting of the Envi- ronment Standing committee in parliament on Tuesday, 7th July and raised in plenary in Parliament on Wednesday, 8th July in the morning. Marathon sessions, which saw MPs being convoked in the morn- ing to discuss the bills, indicated an intention to press ahead with approval of the law before the summer recess. But Environment Minister Leo Brincat denies this, insisting that it was always the government's intention to approve the law in its final reading after summer. More- over, after expressing their disap- pointment environmentalists were given two extra weeks to read the laws and submit written submis- sions. But what sense does it make to have the debate in the plenary concluded before NGOs submit- ted their views? Why not postpone the second reading to after sum- mer, thus giving civil society the time to scrutinise a reform which is set to change Malta's planning goalposts. How the goalposts are being changed The planning law itself reverses the landmark reform of 2010, which saw the introduction of the sixth schedule, which effectively bans the Malta Environment and Planning Authority from approv- ing any illegal development lo- cated on protected areas like Nat- Muscat proves his worth in the art of managing public opinion, even if he knows he is losing his sheen when groups with no self- interest confront him As if proposing Zonqor point for development was not enough, the government has used the start of the holiday season as a cover to rush to change Malta's planning goalposts. Why is Joseph Muscat taking the greens for granted? asks James Debono ing which they were expected to submit their feedback on three As if proposing Zonqor point for development was not enough, the government has used the start of the holiday season as a cover to rush to change Malta's planning goalposts. Why is Joseph Muscat taking the greens for granted? asks James Debono Has Labour alienated the green lobby? ANALYSIS • MEPA reform