EU Commission calls on Malta to cease spring hunting of turtle dove / Malta News Briefing – Thursday 16 February 2023

Updated 1230

Polidano, Portelli firms fined on Birkirkara demolition project: Companies linked to construction magnate Charles Polidano and major developer Joseph Portelli have been fined over a dangerous demolition project that was caught on camera in Birkirkara. The two entrepreneurs denied responsibility despite footage from the demolition over the weekend that showed huge bricks falling onto Psaila Street, near homes and a school. In a statement Portelli’s company said that Polidano was “careless and reckless” while Polidano said the Gozitan developer was seeking “to shirk their legal and moral responsibilities”.

Govt does not investigate journalists – OPM: The government does not investigate journalists and is committed to there being an environment where journalists are left to conduct their work, a statement by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) said. This statement followed a request by Mediatoday owner and director Saviour Balzan had published an open letter calling on Prime Minister Robert Abela to make an “unequivocal, public statement in favour of freedom of information and against a SLAPP threat from hospitals concessionaire Steward Health Care International”. Steward Healthcare International has asked Government to request an investigation of MaltaToday editor Matthew Vella.

Most foreign workers are now non-EU: COVID-19 marked a significant change in workforce, with a massive dip in EU nationals accompanied by higher 26% growth in third-country national workers mainly in the lower salary ranges in terms of jobs. By 2021, the amount of gainfully employed ‘third-country nationals’ in Malta had reached 43,500, well over the 34,000 EU nationals in the Maltese workforce.

Morning Briefing

EU Commission calls on Malta to cease spring hunting of turtle dove

The European Commission has asked Malta to correctly apply the Birds Directive, specifically ceasing the spring hunting of turtle dove. Malta has authorised derogations for the hunting of quail since 2011, and the live-capturing of golden plover and song thrush since 2012, but has failed to establish a general system of protection of wild birds against illegal killing and capturing. To also address its concerns regarding spring hunting of turtle dove, the Commission is now sending an additional letter of formal notice to Malta.

MDA threatens blacklisting of rogue operators

Malta’s development lobby is threatening to blacklist “rogue operators” who are giving the construction sector a bad name.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Malta Developers Association said that, in the absence of a licencing system for contractors, “MDA will be taking note of rogue contractors and make sure that its members do not use their services. The Association said that it was giving its last warning to all operators in the construction industry and is going to take action so as to ensure that such misbehavior is not tolerated.”

FDI registers significant increase in 2022

Foreign direct investment in Malta increased by €2,000 million during the first half of 2022 – an increase of almost €430 million compared with the same period of the previous year. The National Statistics Office said that the foreign direct investment reached €208.6 billion till last June, an increase of €8.3 billion over the same period of 2021. Maltese investment in other countries amounted to €57.8 billion, a reduction of €748.3 million over the previous year.