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Decision-Making: Coordinating Bodies
EPD & Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Decision-making is through a normal consultative process culminating at
cabinet level. Consultations are through normal information channels with
e-mails etc. Actually there is no
official set-up.
Decision-Making: Legislation and Regulations
Legal Notices
Malta is a founding member of he World
Trade Organisation and hence our trading policy is regulated
by the Agreements emanating from the WTO.
In this respect, we had to amend a number of our trading laws in order to
be in line with the WTO.
Decision-Making: Strategies, Policies and Plans
Participation in Mediterranean Action Plan and M.C.S.D.
Malta participates at all major meetings on Sustainable Development
and is party to many international legal instruments which promote and support
Sustainable Development like UNFCCC Convention to combat Desertification etc.
Malta is also a member of the UNEP
Mediterranean Action Plan as well as a State party to most of the environmental
Conventions, such as the MARPOL and
the London Dumping Conventions, the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols, the
Framework Convention on Climate Change and recently the Convention on Biological
Diversity. Malta hosts the Regional
marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC)
and the International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI), both partly financed by the
International Maritime Organisation.
In the past a system of subsidies has
ensured that local manufacturers were privileged vis-à-vis foreign businesses.
This system of protectionism obviously is being fared out as a result of
globalization and free trade which
Maltese policy endorses. For example, a restructuring
for local industry is being proposed and affected to ensure the least possible
negative effects.
Decision-Making: Major Groups Involvement
Major groups are consulted when it comes
to drafting of new legislation which effects them in anyway.
Their advice and suggestions are carefully considered and the end result
is often a compromise.
It has a healthy relationship with
private enterprise, sometimes the private enterprise has acted as a catalyst.
To ensure adherence to international legal instruments for example, The
Federation of industry has put pressure on government to adhere or accede to
Basel Convention on Transboundary Movement of hazardous Wastes and their
Disposal.
Programmes and Projects
Malta has GEF programmes
regarding UNFCCC, UNDP funding to draft a new EPA and institution building
within the Environment Department in 1997.
Status
No information is available
Challenges
Differences in: interests; economic, cultural, political systems; and legal systems.
The
most immediate attention for bilateral or multilateral cooperation should be
towards the following programmes:
The major challenge in
building multi-stakeholder partnerships, particularly with NGOs, the private
sector, scientific community, etc. is resolving conflict of interests between
the national government and the major groups.
Malta has already removed most of the
trade barriers to certain extent and those remaining will be phased by 2003.
Capacity-building, Education, Training
and Awareness-raising
To
promote public awareness on the need for closer international cooperation for
sustainable development, Malta works with major groups for instance, utilization
of the media, and other means of information dissemination.
Public Seminars are conducted in collaboration with NGO, and they
include Audio Visuals, publicity campaigns and setting up of website.
It is intended that an Environment
Protection Authority will be set up which will be independent and autonomous
from government. Proposals and
studies have been conducted to ensure that training programme for personnel as
well as financial investment in technical equipment etc. would meet with the
Authority's needs to fulfill its role as the guardian of sustainable development
in Malta according to the latest technical and scientific information.
Information
All the information related to
international cooperation is available to the public on demand. The Ministries and Departments are in the process of setting
up their Web site and hence it will eventually be possible to access it via
Internet.
Research and Technologies
A lot of emphasis is placed on the
dissemination of technology and technical know how in general but maybe there is
not a similar impetus for its use to enhance sustainable development.
There is however an institution set up between the Environment Protection
Department and the University of Malta called the Cleaner Technology Centre to
fulfill such a role.
The Cleaner Technology Centre studies
possible alliances that may take place.
Financing
No information is available
Cooperation
Malta is a party to many multilateral
and regional international legal instruments which promote environment
protection and hence it participates also in fora such as the Mediterranean
Commission for Sustainable Development. It
also has worked with other small island developing States to assess
sustainability indicators in small islands.
(See Annex – List of Treaties in force in Malta).
Bilateral trade agreements Malta is
party to are subject to WTO rules.
Malta took the initiative to propose a
CSD for the Mediterranean and a new institution is being set up to assess
sustainability indicators at the University of Malta.
The Planning Authority also works on Sustainability indications to
incorporate these in development planning policies.
Joint
research, professional networking, or other activities related to sustainable
development between experts in your country and those outside is carried
out in collaboration with foreign experts.
Co-operation amongst small island
developing States which have the same acute problems to ensure sustainability
from an environmental perspective as their sustainability indicators different
from those of larger countries.
ANNEX:
LIST
OF TREATIES IN FORCE IN MALTA
1948
The
Convention on the International Maritime Organisation, as amended.
1949
Agreement
For the Establishment of a General Fisheries Council for the Mediterranean.
1951
The International Plant Protection Convention.
1954
International
convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by Oil.
1958
The
Convention on the Continental Shelf.
1958
The
Convention on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone.
1963
Treaty
Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in The Atmosphere, in Outer Space and Under Water.
1969
International
Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage.
1971
The Treaty on the Prohibition on
the Emplacement of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction of the
Sea-Bed and the Ocean Floor and in the Subsoil Thereof.
1970
International
Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Oil Pollution
Damage.
1971
The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as
Waterfowl Habitat.
1971
The
Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production And Stockpiling of
Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxic Weapons, and Their Destruction
1972
The Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes
and Other Matter.
1972
The
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
1973
The
International Convention on the Safety of Life At Sea.
1976 The Convention for the Protection of the
Mediterranean Sea Against Pollution - and the 1996 Amendments to it.
1976
The Protocol for the Prevention of Pollution of the Mediterranean by Dumping
from Ships and Aircraft.
1976
The Protocol concerning Co-operation in combating Pollution of the
Mediterranean Sea by Oil and Other harmful Substances.
1976
The Protocol for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea Against
Pollution.
From
Land Based Sources
1979
The
Convention on European Wild Life and natural Habitats.
1979
The
Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution.
1979
The
Protocol to the Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution on
Long-Term Financing of the Co-Operative Programme for Monitoring Evaluation of
the long Range Transmission of air Pollutants in Europe (EMEP).
1982
United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
1985
The
Vienna Convention For the Protection of The Ozone Layer.
1986
The
Protocol Concerning Mediterranean Specially Protected Areas.
1987
The
Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete The Ozone Layer.
1989
Basel Convention on the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes and
their Disposal.
1992
The
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
1992
Convention
on Biological diversity.
1994
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in those Countries
Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa.
1996
Protocol
Concerning Protected Areas and Biological Diversity in the Mediterranean.
1996
Protocol on the Prevention of Pollution of the Mediterranean Sea by
Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal.
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This information was provided by the Government of Malta to the 9th Session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development. Last Update: May 2001.
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No information is available.
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No information is available.
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No information is available.
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No information is available.
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No information is available.
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Decision-Making: Coordinating Bodies
Government ministries/ agencies 0responsible for making decisions
in the management and improvement of the transport system include:
Co-ordination is on Bilateral Bases, although soon a transport
authority should be set up to co-ordinate most of the functions.
Strategic transport policy is still prepared by the Planning Authority
and approved by parliament, whereas less strategic Policies are set by other
Agencies.
Local councils are responsible for organizing parking allocation,
and make proposals for traffic management schemes, although the latter need to
be approved by the traffic control board and sometimes also by the Planning
Authority.
Decision-Making: Legislation and Regulations
Decision-Making: Strategies, Policies and Plans
Overall strategy is to reduce the need for travel by allocating
land-uses which attract trips close to those which generate them.
There is no integrated strategy for transport infrastructure.
Road Networks: No new roads are to be constructed, but improvement
of existing network is essential.
Decision-Making: Major Groups Involvement
No particular non-Governmental Group exists. Public opinion for
development of transport policy is gathered through "Household travel
surveys" and "Public attitude surveys" conducted by the Planning
Authority.
No particular region/population group. However, the situation in the inner harbour area is more
acute due to the high volumes of traffic using it every day.
Private
sector plays a minimal role in the decision-making, planning, management and
operation processes of transport related issues.
Programmes and Projects
A project is underway to create a park-and-ride scheme for
Valletta, stopping cars outside the Peninsula and shopping people in the
historic city by means of electronic Buses.
Status
For a few years, unleaded petrol was cheaper than leaded petrol.
However the last two years, the prices are the same.
Challenges
Bus service requires the most immediate attention in improving
transport efficiency and reducing damages to the ecosystems.
Traditional system of ownership of buses, makes any improvement of
public transport particularly impossible, because authorities have to deal with
many owners (500) rather than with one or a few companies.
Capacity-building, Education, Training
and Awareness-raising
Short-term advertising campaign by the Public Transport Authority
in 1995/6 - Very little effect.
One year campaign by the Traffic Police, using billboards, TV
adverts as well as local meetings for children.
Information
Research and Technologies
No information is available
Financing
No information is available
Cooperation
No information is available
This information was provided by the Government of Malta to the 9th Session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development. Last Update: May 2001.
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No information is available.
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