Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/972198
12 JAMES DEBONO NEARLY two thirds of the Mal- tese (63%) think that immigration is more of a problem than an op- portunity, a Eurobarometer survey reveals. Moreover three in every four (75%) in Malta consider immi- grants as a burden on their welfare system and nearly eight in 10 (79%) think that immigrants worsen the crime problem in their country. 63% of Maltese think that immi- grants take away jobs from native workers. Respondents participating in the survey were given a definition of immigrants as persons born out- side of the EU. The survey also shows that a relative majority (36%) of the Maltese think that there are more illegal than legal immigrants in Malta. The negative opinion that the Maltese have on immigration could reflect the lack of contact with im- migrants. The survey shows that the Maltese are among the least in Europe to interact with immi- grants. 31% of the Maltese interact with immigrants 'less than once a year or never' in childcare centres, schools or universities. The survey finds that in Hungary, Malta and Greece over six in ten respondents think that immigra- tion is more of a problem, as do over half of those polled in Slova- kia (54%), Bulgaria (52%) and Italy (51%), and half of respondents in Cyprus (50%). In all other countries, this view is expressed by a minority ranging from nearly half of those polled in the Czech Republic (49%) to less than a fifth of respondents in Lux- embourg (17%) and Sweden (19%). The survey shows that in coun- tries with a low proportion of immi- grants, such as Hungary, Slovakia, and Bulgaria, a greater proportion of respondents see immigrants as a problem, while in countries with a relatively high proportion of im- migrants, such as Luxembourg, Sweden and Denmark, significantly fewer see immigration as a prob- lem. Only 28% of the Maltese think that immigrants enrich Malta's cultural life. The Maltese were only second to the Bulgarians (29%) in expressing this opinion. This is in deep contrast with the views of other Europeans. In 17 of the 28 Member States, more than half of respondents agree with the state- ment. This ranges from just over half of respondents in Slovenia (51%), Estonia (51%) and Poland (52%) to over nine in ten (93%) of those polled in Sweden. Malta was one of 14 EU coun- tries where less than half of those polled agree integration is success- ful in their country. The percent- age varied between under a quarter (24%) of respondents in Bulgaria to nearly half (49%) of those surveyed in France, Greece, Malta and Slo- vakia. This contrasts with Ireland where 80% think that integration is suc- cessful in their country. Only 35% of Maltese think that the acquisition of citizenship is important for integration. This contrasts with the view of citizens in 24 Member States in which a majority of respondents think it is important. In Slovenia, Spain and Ireland over 80% think that grant- ing citizenship is important for integration. 60% of the Maltese do not consider granting immigrants the vote in local election as benefi- cial to their integration. maltatoday SUNDAY 22 APRIL 2018 News Elevated road proposed to restore Ghadira sand dunes JAMES DEBONO THE sand dunes at Mellieha's Ghadira Bay will be unable to recreate themselves, un- less the existing road gets replaced by an elevated three-lane dual carriageway so that the unobstructed natural inward migration of sand dunes can take place, preliminary studies claim. This Project Development Statement sub- mitted by environmental consultants EMDP on the proposed 38,000sq.m extension of Ghadira beach proposes the replacement of the existing road by an elevated road, sus- pended on vertical columns in what is de- scribed as a "bridge-like cantilevered struc- ture". But the environmental impact of building the new bridge in the vicinity of a nature reserve will only be conducted after the ap- proval of the first phase of the project which would see sand mechanically dredged from the submerged part of the beach. The study warns that existing kiosks may have to be removed or shifted so as not to impede the process of sand dune migration. There's no timeframe for the new road but the first phase of the project – the extension of the beach itself – can be implemented be- fore this summer. "It is essential that this project is fast- tracked so that further development (name- ly the wave deflectors and subsequently the new bridge) may commence after the end of summer months," the project description statement says. Wave deflectors and the new road would ensure that the beach is protected during the winter months and reduce the risk of beach erosion. But the document warns that if "significant bad weather" takes place before the creation of sea current deflectors that prevent the sand from being lost, this would risk ruin- ing the work carried out in the first phase since "the replenished sandy beach could be eroded back." Ghadira beach will be extended by a one- kilometre stretch of over 20 metres in aver- age width, making use of dredger-pumped sand from a submerged sandy area of Ghad- ira bay itself. The studies claim that this can be done without impacting the protected sea grasses which are further away from the zone identi- fied for dredging works. The process will involve raising back the sand eroded over time from the seashore. Although the process is more expensive than using imported "alien" sand, the sand will have identical characteristics that are already found within Ghadira Bay, reversing the situation to the 1960s shoreline that was 25 metres further out at sea than today. The seabed sand will then be raised and de- posited on land using a sand suction dredg- er, which will dislodge the sand and pump it to the sand pits across various reclamation areas along the beach. The area from where the sand will be dredged is devoid of protected Posedonia Oceanica Meadows (protected sea grasses). The second phase of the project will in- volve the construction of submerged wave deflectors around the sandy beach intended to deflect, dissipate or reduce the wave en- ergy reaching the shoreline. This will ensure that the replenished beach is protected in stormy weather. These deflectors will be de- signed in such a manner so as to facilitate the creation of an artificial reef, the PDS says. The wave deflector will protrude from be- neath the Sea Shell Dive Centre located at the far southern end of the bay and shall ex- tend more than 20m from the new shoreline. Mizzi's 'legacy' beach Plans by Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi to "leave a legacy" in turning Mellieha Bay into a "top European beach" were first an- nounced in July last year. In August when addressing the issue of encroachments by beach concessions at Ghadira, Mizzi noted that in view of beach erosion "we need to assess whether we can extend the beach to see if we can create more space." In 2009 the then transport minister Austin Gatt proposed the replacement of the pre- sent Coast Road with one passing behind the Mellieha nature reserve but this was shot down by both the Labour Opposition and environmentalists. The declared aim of the proposal was to stop beach erosion and re- store sand dunes. But the use of studies commissioned by Seabank owner Silvio Debono to justify the move led to suspicion that the aim of the project was to bring the beach closer to the newly-approved hotel. It was later scrapped. The current studies have been conducted by architect Stephen Vancell on behalf of EMDP, a company owned by the PA's plan- ning commission's board member Mariello Spiteri. ERA is presently assessing the stud- ies presented by the EMDP which were com- missioned by Projects Malta. The sand replenishment project will reverse the situation to the 1960s shoreline that was 25 metres further out at sea than today Migration: 63% of Maltese think it's 'problem'