Earlier this week Parliament approved a political statement in favour of the undersea tunnel project between Malta and Gozo. This motion undermines the integrity of the decision-making process of the regulatory authorities. AD Chairperson and EP candidate Carmel Cacopardo said this today, during a press conference, also addressed by Mina Tolu, also an AD candidate for the European Parliament. The press conference was held in front of Parliament in Valletta, today.

Mina Tolu added that “climate change is the greatest challenge of our time. In the European Parliament the only party that constantly and consistently vote for measures to protect the climate is the European Green Party. The other parties are constantly engaged in a series of trade-offs with economic operators. Environmental protection involves much more than the cleanups in the countryside. It also involves decision-making processes, which if not conducted responsibly can destroy the future of generations yet to come. “

Carmel Cacopardo emphasised that: “The approval by Parliament of a motion earlier this week to support the undersea tunnel between Malta and Gozo is indeed a declaration of complicity to ruin Gozo. It’s a declaration whereby Parliament is trying to condition the authorities and institutions which have to weigh and analyse the project when the application is submitted. “

He added: “It is useless for PN and PL to shed crocodile tears about the need of public authorities to do their job with integrity and neutrality and then at a critical moment trying to condition the way they act.”

The purpose of facilitating mobility between Malta and Gozo can be easily achieved through a rapid ferry service from Mġarr in Gozo to various parts of Malta’s coastline, without creating substantial environmental impacts.

The environmental impacts generated by the proposed tunnel between Malta and Gozo include not only construction waste and the scourge of sea reclamation being proposed by Government and powerful lobbies. The tunnel will substantially increase vehicle movement between the islands; this is contrary to the national transport plan which requires that cars on the roads decrease, not increase. The financial success of the proposed tunnel is dependent on vehicles crossing between the islands because the income of the tunnel operators will be dependent on the payment made for each car crossing from side to side. These operators will therefore encourage more and more traffic.

We have a Parliament of hypocrites which preaches in favour of environmental protection, including in Gozo: but now when push has come to shove their masks have fallen. Shamefully the motion was approved unanimously.

We cannot but ask why the preliminary geological studies have so far been kept secret. We know that the public consultation on the environmental impact study have not been conducted yet and that environmental studies are still pending.

The projected expenditure is still not known since this depends on the outcomes on studies which have not been completed and published yet. Similar projects abroad, albeit connecting vast masses of land with huge populations, show that even the projected costs can soar given the unpredictability of this kind of work.

Contrary to PLPN, bent on the destruction of Gozo, AD believes in Gozo as an ecological island. The others believe, in cahoots with business lobbies, in destroying Gozo and making it a copy of Malta.

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Parlament magħqud biex jeqred lil Għawdex u Malta

Id-dikjarazzjoni politika tal-Parlament iktar kmieni din il-ġimgħa favur il-proġett tal-mina bejn Malta u Għawdex jimmina l-integrità tal-proċess deċiżjonali tal-awtoritajiet regolatorji. Dan qalu Carmel Cacopardo Chairperson ta’ Alternattiva Demokratika u kandidat għall-elezzjoni tal-Parlament Ewropew li flimkien ma’ Mina Tolu, kandidat ukoll għall-Parlament Ewropew f’isem Alternattiva Demokratika, dalgħodu indirizzaw konferenza tal-aħbarijiet quddiem il-bini tal-Parlament.

Mina Tolu żiedet tgħid li “Il-bidla fil-klima hi l-ikbar sfida ta’ żmienna. Fil-Parlament Ewropew l-uniku partit li kontinwament u konsistentement jivvota favur miżuri li jħarsu l-klima huwa il-Partit tal-Ħodor għax il-partiti l-oħra kontinwament għaddejjin b’sensiela ta’ kompromessi instigati mill-operaturi ekonomiċi. Il-ħarsien ambjentali jinvolvi ferm iktar mit-tindif tal-iskart li jitħalla jakkumula fil-kampanja u f’postijiet ta’ rikreazzjoni. Jinvolvi ukoll il-proċess deċiżjonali li jekk ma jsirx b’sens ta’ responsabbiltà jista’ jeqred il-futur tal-ġenerazzjonijiet li għad iridu jiġu.” 

Carmel Cacopardo emfasizza li : “L-approvazzjoni mill-Parlament tal-mozzjoni iktar kmieni din il-ġimgħa li tappoġġa l-mina taħt il-baħar bejn Malta u Għawdex hi fil-fatt dikjarazzjoini ta’ kompliċità fir-rovina ta’ Għawdex. Id-dikjarazzjioni, permezz tagħha, l-Parlament qed jipprova jikkundizzjona l-awtoritajiet u l-istituzzjonijiet li jridu jiżnu u janalizzaw il-proġett meta tkun ġiet sottomessa l-applikazzjoni.”

Żied jgħid li : “Hu inutli li l-PN u l-PL ixerrdu d-dmugħ tal-kukkudrilli dwar il-ħtieġa li l-awtoritajiet maħtura jagħmlu xogħolhom b’rettitudni u imparzjalità jekk imbagħad f’mument kritiku jippruvaw jikkundizzjonaw il-mod kif dawn jaġixxu.

L-iskop li tkun iffaċilitata l-mobilità bejn Malta u Għawdex jista’ jintlaħaq faċilment permezz ta’ servizz rapidu bil-baħar (fast ferry service) bejn l-Imġarr Għawdex u diversi partijiet mal-kosta ta’ Malta u dan mingħajr ma jinħolqu impatti ambjentali sostanzjali.

L-impatti ambjentali li se tiġġenera l-mina proposta bejn Malta u Għawdex mhux biss l-iskart tal-kostruzzjoni li jirriżulta mit-tħaffir u li bih ser tinħoloq pjaga oħra ta’ reklamazzjoni ta’ baħar f’lokalitajiet li s’issa għad ma tħabbrux imma. Il-mina, jekk issir, se żżid sostanzjalment il-moviment ta’ karozzi bejn il-gzejjer u dan kontra dak li jipprovdi l-pjan nazzjonali tat-trasport li jesiġi li l-karozzi fit-toroq jonqsu, mhux jiżdiedu.

Is-suċċess finanzjarju tal-mina proposta hi dipendenti fuq il-karozzi li jaqsmu bejn il-gżejjer għax id-dħul finanzjarju tal-operaturi tal-mina se jkun dipendenti mill-ħlas li jsir għal kull karozza li taqsam min-naħa għall-oħra. Għaldaqstant huwa fl-interess tal-operaturi li jiżdied it-traffiku.

Għandna Parlament li ma jitlifx opportunità biex jipprietka favur il-ħarsien ambjentali, inkluż dwar eko-Għawdex: imma fil-mument tal-prova waqgħu l-maskri, għax il-mozzjoni kienet approvata unanimament.

Nafu li tlestew studji ġeoloġiċi preliminari li s’issa għadhom miżmuma sigrieta. Il-konsultazzjoni pubblika dwar l-istudji dwar l-impatti ambjentali għad ma saritx għax fil-fatt l-istudji ambjentali għadhom mhux konklużi.

Kemm se tkun in-nefqa proġettata ħadd ma jaf s’issa għax dan hu dipendenti in parti mid-deċiżjonijiet li jkunu meħtieġa li jittieħdu hekk kif ikunu konkluża l-istudji. L-esperjenzi f’pajjiżi barranin fuq proġetti simili, li jgħaqqdu miljuni kbar ta’ nies, wrewna li l-infieq proġettat anke jekk stmat bir-reqqa jista’ jispara ‘l fuq minħabba l-imprevidibilità tan-natura ta’ dan it-tip ta’ xogħol.

Quddiem dan kollu Alternattiva Demokratika tipproġetta l-viżjoni ta’ gżira ekoloġika li ma timpurtax il-ħerba ambjentali minn Malta. Li Għawdex hu maqtugħ fiżikament minn Malta hu vantaġġ mhux żvantaġġ.