Requests for information from Mepa

Audit notes shortcomings

On today's Times of Malta front page, we find an article by journalist Mark Micallef with the above title.

The first four paragraphs read:

"Mepa officials admitted to an internal audit they were unaware that the Aarhus convention, giving citizens greater access to information, had been transposed to Maltese law a year ago.

The issue was raised after Qui-Si-Sana residents complained with the Malta Environment and Planning Authority's audit office that the authority had refused to say officially why it had opted not to carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment on the proposed car park complex.

The case officer responsible for the project and the Major Projects Unit manager said they were not aware Malta was party to the Aarhus convention, which gives citizens the right to such information.

The audit report notes that Legal Notice 116/2005 transposed the Aarhus Convention into Maltese law and has been in force since May 17 last year, as established by Legal Notice 139/2005........."

The full article can be read here for the following month, following which it will be archived by the same newspaper.

Also read the Directive 2003/4/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of January 28th 2003, on public access to environmental information and repealing Council Directive 90/313/EEC .