The government, on its part, has made practically minuscule compromises, refusing to rock the boat of the business owners who have laid claim to the area. 

These include the Zammit Tabone family, who runs countless daily ferries to the area, and the operators of sunbeds and umbrellas in the area, Daniel Refalo, who is a close collaborator of Joseph Portelli and Mark Cutajar, the brother of Labour MEP Josianne Cutajar.

Lovin Malta sought to ascertain the details of the agreement, issued by the Malta Tourism Authority. However, this request was shot down. 

The FOI office rejected provided the agreement citing confidentiality and that the disclosure of such information would “unreasonably affect that person adversely” and “prejudice the future supply of information to the Government”.

The decision has already puzzled many in the legal field, with similar documents being provided before. However, the FOI system has notoriously become the very opposite of what it originally set out to do.

Lovin Malta will be filing a complaint over the decision.

Hundreds of activists and citizens recently gathered to protest against the take-up of land at Comino’s Blue Lagoon.

As it stands, deckchair vendors are covering every inch of the shoreline with deckchairs and umbrellas from the crack of dawn, making it practically impossible to enjoy the site unless one is ready to pay €12.50 a head.

On other beaches around Malta, beach vendors typically lay out an umbrella and a sunbed when a customer asks for one.

Back in 2021, a parliamentary petition had been filed demanding the removal of sunbeds and umbrellas from Blue Lagoon in Comino. However, this appears to have fallen on deaf ears.

What do you think of the decision?