PN want hospital development waiver revoked

The Opposition has filed a parliamentary motion, calling on the government to revoke two legal notices that exempt hospital developments from environmental impact assessments.

"The legal notices blatantly go against the EU's Environmental Impact Assessment Directive," shadow environment minister Marthese Portelli told the press after submitting her party's motion to deputy Speaker Censu Galea. "This is the government's latest attempt to weaken our environmental laws."

Opposition MP Ryan Callus cited an annex of the EIA directive that lists the construction of hospitals as an urban development "that may cause environmental impact".

"While the document allows member states to exempt from the EIA in exceptional cases, this can only be applied on a case by case basis, and not as a blanket exemption."