Watch: Ministers Warn PN Bill Will Wreak Havoc On Maltese Economy And Society
Justice Minister Jonathan Attard and Environment Minister Miriam Dalli warned that the PN’s bill to enshrine the “right to the environment” as a legally enforceable human right could wreak havoc on the Maltese economy, as well as social and cultural life.
“Despite the PN’s empty words to defend this amendment, the way it is written cannot give guarantees to anyone – be they feast and fireworks enthusiasts, sporting nurseries, hobbyists or entire economic sectors.”
Dalli accused the PN of not consulting with society before presenting this bill to Parliament and announced a Green Paper for people to advise the government on how environmental laws can be strengthened.
Attard said that while the bill might look nice on paper, the vague wording of the law will leave the door wide open for people to file frivolous and vexatious cases on the grounds that their “right to live in a clean environment” is being breached.
The courts will be empowered to impose interim measures while the case is being decided.
He warned that this could have a devastating impact on heavy industry, energy projects, the tourism industry, agriculture, fishing, hunting, sports, village feasts, fireworks, and music festivals.
Moreover, he warned that it risks flooding the courts with vexatious and frivolous cases for which they will have to allocate resources that could otherwise be used to tackle urgent cases. He added that public trust in the judiciary will be compromised if it used as a political forum.
“Someone will be able to wake up one fine day and rush to court to stop something they don’t like,” he warned. “We are open to dialogue but not to proposals that endanger the rule of law.”
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