Subject: Malta’s temporary landfills

To comply with the EU Landfill Directive, the government of Malta announced, on 8th July 2003, that two quarries for the dumping of domestic and organic waste are to be set up as temporary landfills fills, until an engineered landfill at Tal-Ghallis is built by 2005. The choice of the two identified quarries has raised serious objections, since they are only a few hundred metres away from the UNESCO World Heritage Site Mnajdra and Hagar Qim Megalithic temples and this area has been earmarked as a Heritage Park for a long time.

Can the Commission confirm whether it has been informed by the Maltese government about the choice of the two temporary sites and whether it considers that this temporary solution complies with the (current and future) Member States commitment to safeguard and enhance Europe's cultural heritage?