Il-Gvern se jiffirma konvenzjoni dwar l-access ta' informazzjoni f'materji ambjentali

Il-Gvern se jiffirma konvenzjoni dwar l-access ta' informazzjoni f'materji ambjentali

Il-Gvern Malti se jiffirma fil-jiem li íejjin il-Konvenzjoni dwar l-Aððess ta’ Informazzjoni, Parteðipazzjoni Pubblika fit-Tfassil tad-Deðiújonijiet u l-Aððess góal Íustizzja f’Materji Ambjentali. Din id-deðiújoni ttieódet b’koordinazzjoni bejn il-Ministeru ta’ l-Ambjent u l-Ministeru góall-Affarijiet Barranin.

Din il-konvenzjoni, magórufa wkoll bóala l-Konvenzjoni Aarhus, tfasslet waqt laqgóa tal-Ministri góall-Ambjent li saret f’Aarhus, belt Daniúa, f’Íunju li góadda, taót l-awspiði ta’ l-inizjattiva ‘Ambjent góall-Ewropa’ tal-Kummissjoni Ekonomika tan-Nazzjonijiet Uniti góall-Ewropa. 36 pajjiú Ewropew kienu iffirmawha mill-ewwel.

Il-Gvern Malti hu marbut mal-prinðipji li fuqhom saret din il-konvenzjoni, jiíifieri li jkun hemm aððess pubbliku góal informazzjoni dwar materji ambjentali, li l-pubbliku jkun jista’ jipparteðipa fit-tfassil tad-deðiújonijiet u li l-pubbliku jkollu aððess góal íustizzja f’materji ambjentali. L-iffirmar tal-konvenzjoni hu xhieda ta’ l-impenn tal-Gvern f’dan il-qasam.

Permezz tal-Liíi dwar il-Óarsien ta’ l-Ambjent li saret fl-1991 il-Gvern diíà hu marbut li jipprovdi lill-pubbliku l-aððess góal informazzjoni dwar materji ambjentali. Konsulenti internazzjonali bóalissa qed jassistu lid-Dipartiment góall-Óarsien ta’ l-Ambjent fit-tfassil ta’ liíi ídida góall-óarsien ta’ l-ambjent, bl-iskop li din il-leíislazzjoni tkun konformi aktar mad-direttivi ta’ l-Unjoni Ewropea.

Malta to sign Aarhus Convention

The Maltese Government will shortly be signing the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters. The decision was taking jointly by the Ministry for the Environment and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

This convention, commonly referred to as the Aarhus Convention, was formulated last June, during a meeting of European Environment Ministers in the Danish city of Aarhus, held under the auspices of the Environment for Europe initiative of the United Nations’ Economic Commission for Europe. 36 European countries immediately signed the convention.

The Government of Malta is committed to the principles underlying the convention, namely public access to environmental information, public participation in decision making and public access to justice (legal redress) on environmental matters. Signing the convention is intended to provide another clear statement of the Government’s intentions.

The Environment Protection Act of 1991 already identifies the duty of Government to provide citizens with access to environmental information. A team of international consultants, funded through a UNDP grant, is currently assisting the Environment Protection Department to draft a new Environmental Protection Act, which will address the subject in greater depth and eventually bring local legislation in line with the relevant EU directives.