Repubblika strongly condemns the changes the government is proposing to planning laws, which amount to nothing less than another attack on the rule of law, public participation, and the common good. These are not reforms. These are tools of impunity, crafted behind closed doors, without public consultation, and designed to shield those who profit from the destruction of the environment we live in.
We fully support and stand with environmental organizations and communities that have already raised public awareness about what the government intends to do. The proposed laws deprive citizens of the right to object to destructive development, weaken the courts’ ability to enforce the law, and give unfair advantage to developers who carry out illegal activities that ruin our country’s landscape. The message is clear: if you break the law and have the right friends, the government will change the rules to protect you.
This is not policy. This is a conspiracy. We are witnessing a shameless example of state capture, where a group of politically connected developers – who secretly fund the ruling party – are allowed to write the laws to suit their interests. The government is no longer the guardian of the public interest but a servant to the few who grow rich while the rest pay the price.
This eco-mafia is not accountable to the public. It answers only to profit. And to ensure nothing stops this exploitation, the government is silencing citizens and dismantling the institutions meant to protect them.
We believe these proposals may violate key principles of European law, including the right to an effective remedy, the right to access justice in environmental matters, and our obligation to enforce environmental protection standards. Malta is bound by the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive, and the Aarhus Convention, which together guarantee the public a voice in decisions affecting the environment and legal means to challenge abuse.
Now that it is shielding developers from legal consequences while simultaneously restricting public access to justice, the government is likely breaching its obligations under European law. Repubblika will explore all legal and procedural avenues – both local and European – to challenge these laws.
Malta does not belong to those who pay to be untouchable. Malta belongs to its people, who have every right to live in a country governed by justice, not by favors.
We will not allow our laws, our landscape, and our democracy to be sold in secret.