CONSULTATION BRIEF
Start date: 20 September 2023
Closing date: 18 March 2024
Title of the public consultation: Public Consultation: Malta’s Third River Basin Management Plan pursuant to the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC
Ministry: Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Enterprise (MEEE)
Entity: Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) & Energy and Water Agency (EWA)
- Background
The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires EU Member States to develop River Basin Management Plans (RBMP) aimed at the adoption of an integrated approach towards the protection of water, including groundwater, inland surface waters, transitional waters and coastal (marine) waters.
The plan describes and assesses these water bodies in terms of their status and pressures thereon. On the basis of such assessment, the plan puts forward a Programme of Measures targeting the protection and, where necessary, the restoration of water bodies. The objectives to be achieved through such Programme of Measures include the following:
- Achievement of ‘good quantitative status’ and ‘good qualitative status’ for groundwater bodies;
- Achievement of ‘good ecological status’ and ‘good chemical status’ for surface waters, including inland surface waters, transitional waters and coastal (marine) waters;
- Achievement of the objectives for protected areas.
The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) and the Energy and Water Agency (EWA) are jointly responsible for preparing Malta’s RBMP, with ERA responsible for surface waters and EWA for groundwater.
Malta’s 1st and 2nd Plans were published in 2011 and 2016 respectively. A public consultation on the identification of Significant Water Management Issues was held in 2020/2021 in preparation for the development of the 3rd RBMP.
- Consultation
Under the implementation process of the WFD, Malta has prepared its 3rd RBMP for the third cycle of implementation of the WFD.
It Includes an assessment of status of all WFD water bodies and proposes actions or measures needed to deal with the various significant issues identified in the plan. The Plan also revises the objectives set for those waters that were deemed to be at risk of not achieving good water status.
ERA invites the public to submit any feedback on Malta’s Third River Basin Management Plan.
- Documents
Chapter 2: Characterisation of Water Resources in the Maltese islands
Chapter 3: Pressures and Impacts on our Water Bodies
Chapter 5: Monitoring Networks
Chapter 6: Assessment of Status
Chapter 7: Environmental Objectives and Exemptions
Chapter 8: Programme of Measures
- Submission of feedback
Comments are being invited through the feedback form at publicconsultation.gov.mt or otherwise by email through [email protected]
- Further notes
Please be informed that comments submitted, together with the identity of the contributor, may be published online at the end of the public consultation, unless the contributor objects to the publication of his/her personal data. In this case, the contribution may be published in anonymous form.
All comments submitted shall be duly considered.
20 September 2023
