The Minister for Rural Affairs and the Environment, George Pullicino and Sigmar Gabriel , Germany ’s Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, presided over the closure of an EU Twinning Agreement between Malta and Germany on Producers’ Responsibility.  

Federal Minister Sigmar Gabriel is in Malta on an official visit and is the present leader on Environmental issues during Germany ’s current EU Presidency.  

Minister George Pullicino said that “sustainability is central to the work of the present government.   It is therefore a pleasure to work in collaboration with the German government and industries to achieve sustainable solutions to the challenges being faced today. It was particularly a pleasure to work with the German Government for the past 14 months on the twinning project on the Implementation of the Producer Responsibility Directives”.  

He added that “ Malta has much to learn from Germany ’s vast experience in waste management – a field that presents a challenge for Malta , due to the size of the island and high population density.   In this respect, it is satisfying to note the obstacles that we have overcome in such a short time.”

Minister Pullicino thanked all the German experts that have contributed in this Twinning Project for the relevant suggestions made to implement successfully the Producer Responsibility Framework in Malta .

Although the implementation of the Twinning Project has come to an end, more work will be done in the Producer Responsibility area. The Ministry for the Environment together with WasteServ and MEPA will continue the work commenced through this Project. The communication and coordination that have been established through the Task forces can continue between the various organisations like FOI, GRTU, Chamber of Commerce and other stakeholders to ensure the best solutions are implemented in Mata.   

Highlighting the success of the project, Minister Pullicino said that the government of Malta and Germany agreed to expand technical co-operation, particularly by conducting feasibility studies on a waste-to-water project. The aim is that waste with calorific value is used for water production. This preliminary study is to be funded by the German Government.     

During official talks together with MEPA and Wasteserv, the Maltese delegations had the opportunity to discuss with Minister Gabriel several issues that are central to Malta ’s Environment, both at a local level and at a European level.