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Malta’s Environment And Planning Ministry Will Publish List Of All Meetings With Lobbyists And Stakeholders

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Malta’s Environment and Planning Ministry will start logging and publishing a register of all meetings with lobbying groups and other stakeholders, in a move aimed at improving transparency and good governance.

The register will also apply to the Head of the Secretariat. Speaking to The Malta Independent, newly appointed Minister Aaron Farrugia explained:

“As both an economist and an environmentalist, I think that, while this Government has made massive leaps forward in terms of economic growth, the time has come to shift the focus to socio-economic elements, promoting justice, good governance, and environmentally sustainable practices.”

“I am committed to the highest levels of transparency in decision-making. In the interest of good governance, as a Ministry, we shall regularly publish the list of all meetings held by the Minister and his Chief of Staff with lobbyists, social partners, businesses and non-governmental organisations.”

It remains to be seen whether the Transparency Register will be implemented at any other ministries.

Prime Minister Robert Abela has merged the environment and planning ministries, placing Farrugia at the helm, which proponents hope will bridge the gap between development and environmental protection.

With over-development in Malta still in overdrive, the relationship between government and developers has always been questioned, with some feeling that cash-hungry developers have free reign over Malta.

Their links have been laid bare in recent weeks, with Malta Developers’ Association Chief Sandro Chetcuti admitting to being a “protagonist” in getting the Labour Party elected in 2013.

Meanwhile, Speaker and former Deputy Leader Anglu Farrugia said under oath that Chetcuti held an office on the infamous fourth floor of the party’s headquarters in the months leading up to the general election, all while he was serving as the Vice President of the MDA.

The fourth floor was the base of operations for the general election, with Farrugia claiming that a plethora of businesspeople utterly unfamiliar with the Labour Party flooded the headquarters in the year leading up to the vote.

Chetcuti has denied having an office there but said he was the fixer and point-of-contact for Muscat and the business community.

More recently, Lovin Malta revealed that Chetcuti held an informal meet-up with former Environment Minister Jose Herrera in Valletta.

Herrera said he was having a coffee on the street when Chetcuti coincidentally passed by and joined the table. However, sources have told Lovin Malta that the two were sitting together for around an hour.

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Julian is the former editor of Lovin Malta and has a particular interest in politics, the environment, social issues, and human interest stories.

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