Friends of the Earth Malta together with seven other environment groups are calling on the public to join a National Rally in Valletta on 13th March, to raise the issue of ongoing environmental abuse and lack of law enforcement.

The rally in Valletta is aimed at calling on the government to effectively enforce existing laws and put an end to ongoing environmental abuse including Out of Development Zone construction encroachment illegal hunting and trapping, destruction of heritage and EU protected Natura 2000 sites, violation of Malta’s Structure Plan, of the EU air pollution Directive and unauthorized groundwater extraction.

The NGOs draw attention to the fact that the MEPA Enforcement Unit to deal with environmental crimes has been drastically downsized while illegal extraction of groundwater, widespread killing of protected birds and illegal occupation of the countryside have gone unchecked. The NGOs also condemn the fact that a number of permits have recently been granted for major projects which in many cases violate the Structure Plan and MEPA regulations as well as the EU Directive on public consultation.

“Despite the Prime Minister’s promises for better protection of Malta’s natural environment, the situation has reached unacceptable proportions, with MEPA giving irrational interpretations of its policies to in order to suit private and not public interest,” the environment groups said.

For these reasons BirdLife Malta, Flimkien g?al Ambjent A?jar, Friends of the Earth Malta, Greenhouse, Graffitti, MOAM, Nature Trust Malta and Ramblers Association of Malta are calling members of the public to a National Rally to be held at 10am on Saturday, March 13th at City Gate, Valletta.

The Environment NGOs appeal to the competent authorities and institutions to ensure citizens’ rights to law enforcement in accordance with environmental standards operative in the European Union.