A bill that will improve public involvement in decision-making by the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) started being debated in parliament on Tuesday.
The law will allow members of the public to have their say in board meetings during which ERA takes decisions impacting the environment.
Currently, the law only allows the public to be present for ERA board meetings when decisions on Environment Impact Assessments and permits related to the Industrial Emissions Directive are taken.
"We want people to have more direct access," Environment Minister Miriam Dalli said when opening the debate on the bill.
"We want to raise people's participation in decision-making and give them the opportunity to appeal decisions that they don't agree with."
What the law proposes
The bill, which was moved in parliament at the beginning of last month, amends the Environment Protection Act, which regulates ERA's operations.
Aside from making most board meetings open to the public, the changes will also introduce a provision allowing interested parties to lodge appeals against ERA decisions.
Changes will also strengthen ERA's power to take immediate direct action when it sees an imminent danger to the environment. Current legislation had delayed action by 15 days.
The new law will also create a new environment commission formed by three board members appointed by the minister and led by a member of the ERA board. The commission will be tasked with taking decisions on matters such as petitions on administrative fines.
Last month on 103 Malta's Heart radio, ERA chair Vince Cassar admitted that the environmental watchdog is toothless in planning issues, saying all the authority could do was to give an opinion and try to get the Planning Authority board members to agree with it.
He said the authority had limited influence on planning decisions and acknowledged that the current PA setup meant ERA's views could be easily ignored.
'Malta is under siege once again' - PN MP
Opposition MPs lauded several aspects of the bill but insisted the government must truly make the environment a priority when it comes to construction.
Janice Chetcuti, the PN's spokesperson for the environment, said people were frustrated and wanted action on unbridled construction.
"That is why as a party we are pushing to enshrine the environment as a human right in the constitution," she said.
Albert Buttigieg accused government MPs of speaking about the environment from every aspect but avoid mentioning the "elephant in the room" which was construction.
"You cannot solve a problem unless we first admit that there is a problem," he said.
"The country has become one big construction site, and there is a lot of tension between the economy, progress, and the environment.
"Malta is under siege once again - this time not from the Ottoman Turks, but from the fat cats who have been led to believe that Malta is theirs and that they can do anything they want," he said.