EU Environmental Policy

As the environmental and resource regulator in Malta, responsible for the Environment Protection Act (CAP 549), ERA is also the Competent Authority responsible for implementing much of the EU Environment Acquis. ERA also provides continuous technical advice in matters concerning upcoming legislative proposals on EU Environmental policy to the Maltese Government through the Ministry for Environment, Energy and Enterprise.

The EU Acquis consists of over 200 EU instruments, including regulations and decisions which are directly binding and directives which are transposed into national legislation. It comprises of legal instruments on waste management, industrial pollution control, air quality, water quality, biodiversity and nature protection, noise, GMOs, ionizing radiation, and other horizontal issues and cross cutting dossiers. Strategic European direction is currently provided through the overarching European Green Deal and also through the recently adopted the EU’s 8th Environment Action Programme.

Implementation of the acquis ranges from legal transposition to ensuring that Malta complies with established targets. Monitoring framework, drafting programmes, policies and measures, and reporting obligations are typically required.

The EU Commission’s Directorate General for Environment is the directorate responsible for EU Policy. It makes sure that Member States are implementing EU law correctly and represents the EU on environmental matters at international level. The aim of this directorate is to sustain and protect the environment for present and future generations, protect biodiversity, in an innovative circular economy where growth has been decoupled from resource use.

More information on the EU Environment dossier can be found at https://ec.europa.eu/environment/index_en

The Environment (ENVI) Council of the European Union is one of the formations that deals specifically with issues associated to the environment and other related issues, attended by the Environment Ministers or their representatives and are chaired by the Environment Minister of the Member State that holds the Presidency. At technical level dossiers are thoroughly discussed in Working Parties as part of the Council Preparatory bodies.

In the European Parliament the ENVI Committee handles dossiers related to the Environment.

Eurostat is the EU Institution responsible for providing statistics, including those concerning the Environment.