Malta announces special arrangement on environment

The Maltese Government has published Malta’s requests for special arrangements in the negotiations for the adoption of the European Union’s environment acquis communautaire. Replying to a parliamentary question earlier this week, the Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr Joe Borg said that Malta is requesting 10 transitional periods and two derogations as follows:

Transitional periods.
6 years for treatment of urban waste water (Directive 91/271/EEC)

6 years for toxic substances discharged into the sea (Directive 76/464/EEC)

4 years for the control of accidents involving dangerous substances (Directive 96/82/EEC)

4 years so that the base line for calculating reduction levels of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) be that of 2001 (Regulation 2037/00); and the same applies also for the phasing out of methyl bromide (Decision 94/68/EC)

3 years for the phasing-out of leaded petrol (Directive 98/70/EEC)

3 years for the quality of drinking water (Directive 98/83/EEC)

3 years for the emissions from large plants generating electricity (Directive 88/609/EEC)

3 years regarding Article 7 of Directive 94/62/EEC

2 years for volatile compound emissions resulting from the storage and distribution of petrol (Directive 94/63/EEC)

1 year for integrated pollution prevention and control (Directive 96/61/EEC)

Permanent exemptions
Permanent exemption for the levels of packaging waste that must be recycled and re-utilized.

Retention of the current system used in the packaging of non-alcoholic drinks.

Besides these requests, the Maltese Government has, in the negotiations with the EU, taken the position that after accession into the EU, Malta maintains the traditional patters of hunting and trapping which have evolved as a result of Malta’s bio-geographical circumstances.