Malta is set to go along with a new ferry landing which threatens a Natura 2000 marine site off the coast of Bugibba in the north of the country.
Funded by the EU’s post-COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Facility, the project is worth €16 million and is currently before the Maltese Planning Authority.
It foresees a new landing and breakwater with ancillary facilities in an area popular with swimmers. It is also a Marine Special Area of Conservation of International Importance, a marine Natura 2000 site, and a Special Protected Area of International Importance by the EU’s Habitats Directive.
According to the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) and the European Commission, an extreme amount of care must be taken not to disturb the ecologically sensitive marine site and the protected sea bed, The Shift News reported.
The Commission clarified that a “further detailed assessment is considered necessary to assess the significance of the impact and implications vis-à-vis the relevant policies.
“This is relevant as the ferry landing is planned to be located in Natura 2000 sites, and thus the project should be subject to appropriate assessment…in view of the site’s conservation objectives and to ensure that it shall not adversely affect the integrity of the sites concerned.”
(Alice Taylor | Exit.al)
Source: euractiv.com
