The party at Torri l-Abjad, within a Natura 2000 site, had originally filed for an ERA permit. However, after pressure from NGOs who noticed the event being advertised, they were informed that the party had been declared cancelled by both the organiser and the venue management. Some time later, the venue management informed NGOs that the event would still take place on the 21st of June, subject to an ERA permit.
FACT 1: This party took place without an ERA permit
FACT 2: MRU went on site and filed an urgent report with ERA enforcement
FACT 3: ERA officials visited the site and confirmed the illegality
FACT 4: ERA officials stated that they could not order the organisers to stop the illegal event without direct orders from their Director.
Our questions:
1) Is the law really so weak that an illegality occuring in a sensitive area cannot be stopped by ERA enfrocement officials? If this is true, did the leaders and directors of ERA ever acknowledge this weakness and suggest changes to the law? If not, who bears responsibility for this lack of foresight? (The ERA CEO needs to answer this).
2) If the above is untrue, and ERA officials do in fact have the legal authority to stop an ongoing illegality, who instructed them to believe that they needed their Director’s order to act? (The question must be answered by the ERA official involved).
3) Did the ERA official try to contact their Director to obtain the necessary authority to stop the event? And isn’t the Director expected to be available at all times in such circumstances?
This situation is a symptom of a deeper problem that is undermining ERA. This incident must be properly investigated and scrutinised to identify who failed our country. Those responsible must be held accountable and take appropriate action. The organisers should be banned from holding similar events in rural areas. This was not a mistake. While we acknowledge the apology issued by Mr Sciberras, it falls far short of what is required. The organisers knew a permit was needed and maliciously chose not to apply for one.
Read our statement in Maltese here.