EU dismisses objections over waste plant

The European Commission has dismissed the objections being raised over the upgrading of the waste recycling plant in Marsascala, which is to be funded by the EU.

The Commission said that as far as it was concerned, all the EU rules regarding the environmental and economic aspects of the project have been respected.

The Commission gave its opinion following a parliamentary question by MEP Philip Whitehead, a British member of the Socialist group and of the European Parliament's environment committee.

Reflecting the contents of a letter sent by the Zejtun local council to the Commission and to the members of the committee, reported by The Times on Monday, Mr Whitehead said the composting plant at Sant'Antnin "is going to be built within 300 metres of the residential area of Zejtun".

He charged that "the Zejtun local council was not involved in either the preparation of the proposal or the impact assessment".

Mr Whitehead argued that "the impact assessment itself excluded other possible sites on the basis of reasons which apply equally to Sant'Antnin and did not include an assessment of the economic impact in the only tourist area in southern Malta".

He asked whether the Commission was aware of this "flawed" impact assessment and what action was being taken to re-assess the financing or location of the recycling facility.

Replying to the question, the Commission explained that the project consists of the redevelopment and upgrading of the existing waste treatment plant.

This was not a new project, it said. The plant would be built within the current boundaries of the existing one and would not necessitate land reclamation or new construction.

Regarding the alleged flaws in the environment impact assessment, the Commission said that from the information provided by the Maltese authorities, it had not identified elements which could demonstrate that the requirements of the relevant EIA directive have not been respected.

On the contrary, the Commission said, the EIA assessment procedure included public consultation at different stages and the examination of three alternative locations of the project. "The proposed location was identified as the most suitable," it said.

"Furthermore, it should be stressed that under the subsidiary principle, the Commission does not have the power to impose the choice of a specific location on a member state. This choice is exclusively up to the national competent authorities."

As to the economic aspects of the project, the Commission said these were assessed through a cost benefit and financial analysis requested for the project appraisal needed for assistance under the EU's Cohesion Fund. The analysis detailed alternative technical solutions for the treatment and management of waste on the island.

"Due to the urgency of the situation and limited land availability, the analysis implies that the 'footprint' of any new facility should be minimised as far as possible. This was the basis of the choice of the current site and the upgrading of the existing plant. Any mitigating measures necessitated by an increase in the plant's capacity, including those concerning odour emissions, noise and traffic, will be implemented according to European standards," the Commission said.