3.2 Balancing Economic Growth and Well-Being

Besides being a moral obligation, and having a bearing on people’s lifestyles, the safeguarding of the natural environment is also critical to sustain a competitive and sustainable tourism industry. It is in our economic interest that Malta remains an attractive tourist destination. Malta also has environmental targets which have been set by the EU. It has to reduce its carbon emissions by 19% by 2030. The funds allocated under the Recovery and Resilience Plan (€346m) are also target oriented, with some of these targets related to the greening of the economy.

It is proposed that new yacht marinas should be developed sustainably without creating undue negative impact on the external environment and stakeholders including the residents of the immediate vicinity.

Generally speaking, the landscape of Malta’s built environment is not one which does our nation particularly proud – a scenario that is exacerbated by unrestrained enforcement and primitive construction methods which continue to lack qualification frameworks, licensing procedures, training requirements, and adequate protection for third parties. As a result, the country must deal with an “uglification” issue in terms of the built environment that must be reversed. The lack of planning and the quality of regulation, together with its interpretation, enforcement, are at the core of the mistakes that Malta has made in development. For years, the planning and permitting structures in the country have lost the trust and confidence of the citizen due to a track record of lack of consistency and transparency in decisions and permits.

Consequently, the MEA believes that a concerted effort continues to be desperately needed from the part of the incoming Government, the construction industry and industry professionals to collectively improve the reputation of the industry by raising the bar in terms of quality and professionalism with a view to minimising its negative impact on the quality of life of neighbours, logistic problems with continuous traffic diversions, air and noise pollution and so much more. This issue is elaborated upon elsewhere in this document.

Above all, the MEA proposes that as from the next legislature, any development on ODZ areas will be subject to a two thirds majority in Parliament.