The Waste Shipments Inspection Plan, pursuant to the requirements of Regulation (EU) No 1013/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2006 on shipments of waste and its amendments, provides policy direction for waste shipments inspections in Malta. Various tools and practices, particularly regarding increased cooperation between entities involved in shipments of waste inspections are amongst the key measures identified in this plan. The plan reviews the current issues related to waste shipment inspections and analyses and provides direction regarding which measures should be further enhanced in order to reduce illicit movements of waste during exports, imports and transits of waste.

This plan was also subject to a screening process as required under the Strategic Environmental Assessment Regulations (S. L. 549.61).

A copy of the plan can be found here: ​MT – Waste Shipment Inspection Plan final.pdf

A copy of the SEA Checklist can be found here: SEA Checklist WSIP signed .pdf

 

ERA’s Operating Procedures on Beach Cleaning are being launched to guide site managers and beach cleaners on a number of beach cleaning operations so that these do not unduly impact the ecology of the beach. These procedures will facilitate the environmental permitting procedure that is already in place for the cleaning of such environmentally sensitive beaches.

The document covers a number of issues, such as how and when sea grass – Posidonia oceanica – can be removed. Other more specific sections on ecological, operational and waste management considerations are also included. The document was also designed to capture environmental permitting requirements, whether these are related to nature or waste, in one section so as to facilitate this process for applicants.

Through these operating procedures, the document aims to attain as near a balance as possible between keeping beaches clean for the enjoyment of the general public and protecting the ecology of these environmentally sensitive beaches. Beaches are a popular destination especially during the summer months. Many a times, this brings about issues of litter or other waste that are left on site. In addition, human debris accumulated on the shore can pose a hazard to both humans and animals if left unmanaged. The cleaning of beaches is therefore an important tool for visitor management and amenity. However, insensitive or incautious cleaning methodologies can be detrimental to the environmental characteristics of beaches. Adverse impacts can be particularly consequential in areas protected specifically for their environmental value.

One major environmental value is the role played by Posidonia oceanica, which provides food and habitat for a variety of species. Even when it washes ashore, it continues to serve important purposes – providing a place where sand collects to help build beaches and dunes and prevent erosion, providing nutrients for coastal systems and areas where birds and other animals forage and find shelter. Posidonia oceanica should therefore, as a rule, be left in place for as long as possible during the year especially when the incidence of rough weather is higher, so as to maintain a healthy sand budget.

For further information, please contact:

Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) T: + 356 2292 3500 E: [email protected]

The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) hosted a successful 4 day international conference on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Mediterranean as part of the LIFE BaĦAR for N2K project between the 11th and 14th September. The conference presented the current activities being undertaken in relation to the project and MPAs in Malta, and brought together 95 participants from seven Mediterranean States, including a wide range of local stakeholders from government entities, the private sector, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and research institutes, as well as members of the general public.

The results presented are part of the ongoing LIFE BaĦAR project which has the aim of designating new MPAs for reefs and caves and is linked with ERA’s current consultation process on the setting up of management plans for MPAs.

During this conference, the work done and results of the project were presented by members of the LIFE BaĦAR for N2K project team within the ERA, the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, the Department of Biology of the University of Malta, and Oceana.

Speakers from ERA described the efforts made on the Natura 2000 network in Malta and related challenges and provided an overview of ongoing work to develop management measures for MPAs alongside with the ongoing implementation of the national marine monitoring programme.

Foreign experts shared their experience on a national and regional level on the management of marine protected areas and monitoring methods for reefs, marine caves and seagrass beds. Speakers included representatives from the European Union Commission, the United Nations Regional Activity Centre on Specially Protected Areas (RAC/SPA) and the Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas Network (MedPAN), as well as leading experts on reefs, marine caves and seagrass beds from various research institutes.

Participants also engaged in discussions on management and monitoring aspects as an opportunity to exchange views, ideas and experiences and discuss how challenges could be addressed, both in plenary Q&A sessions as well as focused breakout sessions.

The conference was fundamental to provide insights on common challenges faced by different Mediterraean countries in relation to effective MPA management, and kick-starting the management planning processes for local MPAs, which requires strong institutional cooperation. Local stakeholders and other conference participants noted that a participatory approach is key to effective protection, with users and stakeholders of the marine environment having a key role to play in the management of protected areas.

The project budget for the LIFE BaĦAR for N2K project is of €2.6 million, 50% of which is co-financed by the EU LIFE funding programme. The project commenced in October 2013 and will run until June 2018.

The LIFE BaĦAR for N2K aims to extend existing marine Sites of Community Importance (SCIs) and identify new SCIs in Maltese waters for inclusion within the Natura 2000 network. The project is coordinated by ERA in association with the Ministry for the Environment, Sustainable Development and Climate Change, the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, the Department of Biology of the University of Malta and Fundación Oceana. The LIFE BaĦAR for N2K (LIFE12 NAT/MT/000845) Project is 50% co-financed by the EU LIFE+ Funding Programme.

For more information visit www.lifebahar.org.mt

As one of the project partners of the COCOON Project (Consortium for a Coherent European Landfill Management Strategy), the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) shall be attending the third Inter-regional Exchange of Experience (IEOE) meeting next week in Germany. During this meeting, representatives from the project partners from Belgium, Netherlands, Spain, Cyprus and Malta will further discuss the landfill policy document and a mapping report, which will be presented as one of the outcomes of the project. The IEOE meeting will also include site visits to remediated and active landfills in Germany.

This meeting follows the second IEOE meeting which was hosted by ERA between 31st May and 2nd June. During this meeting 20 representatives discussed improvements of regional policy on landfilling. The meeting also included site visits in Malta to exchange knowledge and experience on successful local rehabilitation projects. As one of the outputs of the project, the partners discussed the policy document mentioned above.

On 29th May, ERA also hosted the first local stakeholder meeting during which the attendees engaged in fruitful discussions on various issues on future management possibilities of landfills. Another stakeholder meeting is planned to take place towards the end of the year.

This project has a total budget of €1.4M with around €176, 000 going to the Maltese partners, ERA and Wasteserv Malta Ltd, at a co-financing rate of 85%. Its total duration is 60 months and will run until December 2021.

The European Commission is currently in the process of recruiting six experts to join the European Green Capital and European Green Leaf Awards Expert Panel.

Click here for more information.

The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) Board has today, 25 August 2017, taken two decisions, approving the IPPC permits for the partial surrender of the Delimara Power Station and the Marsa Power Station.

The permit for the Delimara Power Station, covers the dismantling of the chimney and structures related to the operations of the Delimara Phase I plant together with the continued operations of Delimara 2a and 2b (gas turbines) operated by Enemalta Plc., Delimara 3 (diesel engine) operated by D3 Power Generation Ltd., and Delimara 4 CCGT and LNG Terminal operated by ElectroGas Malta Ltd.

The permit for the Marsa Power Station covers the dismantling of most of the structures remaining on site, together with the continued operation of one open-cycle gas turbine  and the retention of the associated gas oil storage tank for use as an emergency back-up plant.

The IPPC permits granted cover a number of monitoring obligations, which operators are to fulfil throughout the 4 year validity of the permits, as well as specific conditions related to the dismantling operations so as to ensure the required level of environment protection.

All public consultation documents are available on the ERA website for Delimara Power Station and  Marsa Power Station.​ ​

Hereunder are links to the technical and non-technical reports, which outline the response of the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) following the fire incident at the Sant’ Antnin Waste Treatment Plan on 22nd May, 2017.  This response is in line with ERA’s legal obligations arising from the Environment Protection Act, 2017.

Non-Technical Report on ERA response following the fire incident at Sant’ Antnin Waste Treatment Plant

Technical Report on ERA response following the fire incident at Sant’ Antnin Waste Treatment Plant

Annex I to Technical Report

​Launch of EMFF Project on Marine Environmental Monitoring: towards effective management of Malta’s marine waters.

The project launched today by the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA), on Marine Environmental Monitoring and partially funded under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) for 2014-2020, will initiate the implementation of sustained environmental monitoring in marine waters with the aim to assess the state of Malta’s marine waters on a continuous basis and address current knowledge gaps.

This project will implement the Marine Monitoring Programme approved by Government in 2015. Minister for the Environment, Sustainable Development and Climate Change José Herrera said that the results of this project will contribute to effective management and sustainable use of marine resources, for the benefit of the environment and of all marine sectors. Through this project, ERA will also continue working towards achieving Good Environmental Status in marine waters. Minister Herrera stated that due to the magnitude of this initiative, the total cost for the implementation of the monitoring programme is expected to reach approximately €4 million.

Marine waters are facing increasing pressures from human activities and this leads to the deterioration of the marine environment. Concrete data and information from the project will be used to develop better management practices to address these pressures. The project will also assist in the implementation of Malta’s obligations in the marine sector.

Parliamentary Secretary for European Funds and Social Dialogue Dr Aaron Farrugia insisted that the European Union has to be a Union centred around projects, as after all projects unite people. He said that these funds will also assist in the implimentation of Malta’s obbligations in the marine sector, while we utilize and absorb all the funds in the fisheries and aquaculture maritime sector.

Miraine Rizzo, ERA official and project leader, stated that “ERA is looking forward to implementing this EU funded project since it will shed light on knowledge gaps, which are currently limiting our capacity to effectively manage the marine environment.”

The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) will do its utmost to absorb the full €1.6 million in public eligible funds (75% EU 25% MT), which were allocated under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) for 2014-2020 for the implementation of the marine monitoring programme.

The duration of the project is of two years.

For further information on the project, please contact [email protected] or call on 2292 3500.

During the past weeks, the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) and PARKS have been carrying out considerable works to improve the sustainability of Comino’s natural heritage. These works form part of the implementation of Comino’s Management Plan and these embellishing and protective management measures have been undertaken in the context of ensuring that the environment is compatible with our needs.

A short while ago, as part of the Authority’s enforcement action, ERA issued a Stop and Compliance Order for construction and demolition waste, together with bulky waste, in various locations around Comino. ERA led and coordinated action to remove this illegality.

In collaboration with Wasteserv Malta, cleaning works were also carried out to remove litter that had been discarded in these areas during the past years. ERA and PARKS also seized this opportunity to carry out other actions to improve Comino and its environment.

The Minister for Environment Jose Herrera visited the works being carried out in Comino. He stated that this is a clear example of how the Ministry of Environment is more hands-on in order to have a better environment. The Minister explained that by means of the enforcement action, they removed the bulky waste which had been dumped illegally.

Minister Herrera claimed that in collaboration with ERA, PARKs and Wasteserv they will continue to cleanse this island and remove foreign and alien species that are a threat to the environment.

The bay of Santa Marija hosts sand dunes, a habitat that nowadays is very rare in the Maltese Islands and is protected at a European level. A number of species typically associated with sand live in this habitat. Unfortunately, only a few bays in the Maltese Islands still contain representative sand dunes and must therefore be protected to the best of our abilities. These sand dunes at Santa Marija have been cordoned in order to protect from any damage that may result from trampling. This was the first step to protect this beach. The kiosk at Santa Marija also provided assistance in this regard and collaborated to protect this beach.

Apart from this, ERA and PARKS removed harmful alien species such as the American Agave and the Kaffir Fig from some areas in Comino which had been planted and had spread to such an extent that they were damaging the biodiversity of the island.

The work does not end here. ERA will commission a Carrying Capacity Assessment study on the island to mitigate, and where possible solve, some problems in areas such as the Blue Lagoon, San Niklaw and il-Qala Ta’ Santa Marija as specified in Comino’s Management Plan that was approved by the Ministry last year.

Currently ongoing consultation is being conducted between the entities that are managing Comino, together with the Ministry for the Environment, Sustainable Development and Climate Change and ERA. In addition, ERA has started the process to acquire funds from the European Union to implement the Natura 2000 Management Plans, and is already working on two of these.

Following the uploading of the video, on social media on 27 June 2017, of the discharge of black material, ERA took immediate action. ERA carried out an inspection at Ricasoli Tank Cleaning Facility, where the discharge of black material was observed. ERA compliance officers ordered the facility to cease all activities with immediate effect and following which the discharge was confirmed to have ceased. Further investigations are ongoing.