The European Union
ECO is one of 12 environmental organisations in EU accession
countries conducting awareness and training project to prepare
environmentalists for the accession negotiations and the public
discussion around these. It is clear that accession will have
a dominant impact on the future of the environment in Malta.
The ENLA project consists of equipping the Maltese environmental
NGOs with the necessary information and structure, to enable
them to play a significant role in the accession process, as
important stakeholders. To date the themes of Transport, Waste,
Energy, Biodiversity and Agriculture were dealt with. NGOs were
provided with a book outlining the EUs position on the themes.
Further themes that will be studied are: Water, Structural Funds
and Integration of environmental policies across sectors.
The idea is for the NGOs to familiarise
themselves with EU directives in these themes; study the screening
process for Malta of each one of them; analyse the position of
the government on each one of these issues and finally prepare
a position paper of the NGOs on each theme. This would be presented
to the media and to the government.
The main aim of this project is for the
NGOs to be equipped with quality information to fulfil the role
of watch dog over the accession process, particularly during
the transposition and implementation of EU directives and furthermore
during the negotiations of transitional periods.
A newsletter: THE
STAKEHOLDER is published regularly to report on the progress
of the campaign and distributed to over 1000 decision makers
in the Maltese Islands and overseas.
Participation in the meetings organised
by the Government, MEUSAC and the Malta EU Information Office
for NGOs on the EU accession process.
ECO representative attended EEB training
Courses (see International)
ECO published press releases and positions
(as an executive committee member of the EEB) on:
EU car makers CO2 deal
Ten tests to assess the green ambitions of the Swedish EU Presidency
ECO dumping by Energy recovery
European Parliament and real cuts in air pollution
EU and GMOs
Europe needs a sustainable tourism strategy
Chemicals Charter for the EU
European Parliament vote on motorcycles
Commissions 10 year environment programme lacks teeth
EU Product Policy
Call for tough new chemicals policy for a sustainable Europe
EU 6th Environmental Action Programme
Reduction in air pollution in the EU
Low Waste Europe
WEEE directive electrocscrap
EU integrated product policy
Euro-Mediterranean
Training weekend organised in Gozo for
Maltese and Gozitan NGOs to explain the Euro Mediterranean programmes
and philosophy. A further two training sessions organised in
Paceville and Msida in collaboration with the Euro Mediterranean
Office in Malta and attended by numerable NGOs.
ECO is holding meetings with the 68 local
councils for all youth NGOs in the locality to explain the Euro
Med Youth Programme. ECO is also offering all the NGOs assistance
to fill up application forms.
Lobbying and Law Enforcement
The campaign against Golf Courses continued
during the year 2001, with a special reference to the Verdala
Golf Course outlining that it is neither economically or ecologically
viable.
ECO joined Med Forum's Ratify the Barcelona
Convention and its Protocols campaign. Malta has signed the Convention
and all the protocols less two.
Photos of various illegal environmental
activities in the Island were published. ECO urged wardens to
check such issues and help the environmental cause.
ECO lobbied for animal rights both locally
and abroad (Rumania and China).
ECO continues its representation on the
Planning Authority Consultative Group. ECO voiced its opinion
on various issues. ECO is also represented on the Planning Authority
Housing Working Group.
A call was made for people to vote for
ecologically conscious counsellors during the Local Government
elections.
Against illegal dumping. ECO praised
the freephone set up by the authorities to allow people to report
dumping. The number is 080772202. ECO demanded that wardens be
tougher in this field.
Protection of wild flowers, especially
narcis.
Lobbied for a larger use of alternative
sources of energy. ECO appreciated cleaner diesels and petrol
introduced by Enemalta but asked for even cleaner fuels according
to EU standards. ECO proposed that the pertinent authorities
promote wind and solar energy, and positively consider proposals
for such energy.
Lobbied for the waste tender to be issued
after the EU experts finish their report, May 2001. This campaign
was organised in conjunction with other local NGOs. After the
tender was issued and closed the NGOs asked for the EU report
to be considered before a decision was taken and possibly the
tender issued once again if the current tender proposals were
not in line with this report. A meeting was held with Environment
Minister Francis Zammit Dimech, and the issue mentioned to the
EU Environment Commissioner, Margot Wallstrom.
Consumer rights were underlined in line
with the Aarhus convention.
Lobbied for the demolition of illegal
buildings and positively commented on the c100 illegal structures
demolished by the local authorities.
Lobbied for the protection of the Maltese
cultural heritage, especially after the historical terrorism
on the Mnajdra temples. ECO joined Wirt Artna in organising the
Valletta protest against this act. The President of Malta Guido
De Marco joined this protest march and welcomed the organisers
to The Palace in Valletta.
The ECO Think Thank of experts from various
fields continued to assist ECO on specific matters.
Commemorated Earth Day and the World
Environment Day.
Environmental Education
& Campaigns
Sustainable Tourism. A story competition
for children was organised in order to publish a booklet on sustainable
tourism written by the children of Malta and Gozo themselves.
This book will be edited and printed during 2001. After 100,000
copies of a pamphlet including ecological tips for sustainable
tourism were distributed last year, this year ECO organised Ulixes
21: For Sustainable Tourism in the Mediterranean (MED Forum)
that included the distribution of a colour ECO test in 5 languages.
75,000 copies were distributed to local councils, hotels and
other institutions.
Furthermore as part of the sustainable
tourism campaign ECO started collecting stories written by the
children of Malta and Gozo about the environment and tourism.
The best stories will be published in a book as a collection
this year (this is the second book on sustainable tourism written
by the children of Malta to be published by ECO)
For the fourth year, ECO is organising
the ECOLOGICAL GENERATION
AWARD which includes four prizes, one for Primary and Secondary
School Students; one for youths; a third for the public in General;
and as from this year a fourth prize awarded internally to an
ECO activist.
ECO presented educational material to
various institutions and schools. "Work on the Share the
World" educational booklet and video was completed and this
will be used in ECOs summer school, as well as by PSE teachers
in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.
As part of the "Making
One World" Campaign various articles were published
on National Newspapers and Radio and Television interviews carried
out. The very popular Xummiemu (a hedgehog) stories were published
on the children's magazine Saghtar on a monthly basis.
As part of the Mediterranean Information
Office campaign, Mediterranean Action Day, ECO distributed and
collected over 6000 leaves including letters to the Minister
for the Environment and a picture with an environmental theme.
The Millennium Tree was built with reused materials and the leaves
were presented to the Minister in an activity held during January
2001. Various Local Councils and Schools participated in the
activity. The Minister of Education also attended the ceremony
and distributed various prizes.
Arbor Day was celebrated by emphasising
the importance of trees and condemning all vandalism. ECO asked
the various neighbourhood watches present in Malta to take up
an environmental role in cooperation with the wardens of their
locality.
One Race
Human Race (Campaign on Racism).
Environmental Education material was distributed and published
in the media in conjunction with UNITED.
On the occasion of the Council of Europe
World Book Day, ECO distributed books to children. Certain local
councils collaborated by giving ECO books to each and every youth
in their locality.
Supported and collaborated with the Light
Pollution Awareness Group in issues related to light pollution.
International Activities
and Miscellaneous
The Mediterranean Sea Campaign was organised
by ECO for Lega Ambiente in Malta
ECO collaborated with Med Forum in various
activities. ECO forms part of the Mediterranean Council of Med
Forum.
Earth Day was commemorated through a
series of environmental friendly proposals for households, businesses,
schools and government departments. The EarthAction Earthday
press releases were issued in all the local press.
The Mediterranean Action Day was organised
on behalf of MIO-ECSDE in Malta with the participation of the
Minister of Education and the Environment.
ECO was elected on the executive committee
of the European Environmental Bureau during the Annual General
Meeting. The EEB is made up of 138 NGOs from all over Europe.
ECO was the first non EU member state NGO to be elected on the
board that sets the environmental agenda. The EEB is the largest
federation of NGOs from the EU and accession countries in the
environment field. ECO activists attended EEB meetings on the
6th EU Environment Programme, EU enlargement, agriculture, water
and the Habitat Forum.
ECO actively participated in meetings
of the Federation of Young European Greens, Youth and Environment
Europe, MARE, MedSOS, Trialog, UNITED and Aseed.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
(PETA) campaigns were organised in Malta. Various articles were
published in the local press, mainly on animal rights and against
the use of furs.
