PN tables bill to enshrine the right to a healthy environment in Malta’s Constitution

The Nationalist Party has tabled a Bill in Parliament to enshrine the right to a healthy environment in Malta’s Constitution.

The Bill, scheduled for debate on Thursday during an Opposition parliamentary sitting, would make environmental protection a fundamental right for Maltese and Gozitan citizens if approved.

If passed, the measure would represent the first addition of a new fundamental right to Malta’s Constitution since Independence. PN Leader Alex Borg described the proposal as a “historic step” and insisted that the initiative must be adopted without delay.

In a social media statement, Borg said Malta is facing a “harsh reality” of unplanned development, polluted air, threats to the seas, and the shrinking of open spaces for communities. He argued that the solution is to give the environment the highest level of protection possible under the country’s supreme law.

“The solution lies in giving the environment the highest level of protection under the Constitution,” Borg said. “With this step, every Maltese and Gozitan citizen will have the fundamental right to a clean environment safeguarded by law. With this law, we will also protect Malta’s right to a better future for our children.”

Borg stressed that the PN was not tabling the Bill simply as a campaign promise, nor to hold it back until the party is in government. “We are not doing this to just say we are going to implement it when the Nationalist Party is in government,” he stated. “This Bill needs to be implemented now, and even by the Labour Party if need be.”

The PN leader framed the proposal around three guiding principles: enshrining the environment as a constitutional right, promoting intelligent development that safeguards open spaces, and creating sustainable communities that care for their surroundings. He insisted this vision is not a slogan but a concrete plan for the future.

“This is about leaving behind something better for our children,” Borg added, emphasising his wish for this generation to be remembered as the one that gave back a “Maltese Malta” with its rightful identity and environment.

Thursday’s debate will mark the first time since Borg became Leader of the Opposition that a Bill is presented during an Opposition parliamentary sitting. He criticised the Labour Government for leaving the PN’s original proposal “on the shelf for far too long” and underlined the urgency of securing cross-party support.

Whether the government benches will back the initiative remains uncertain, but its tabling signals growing political pressure to address widespread concerns about overdevelopment, the loss of open spaces, and environmental degradation.

If adopted, the measure would elevate environmental protection to the same constitutional level as other fundamental rights, making it a binding obligation for present and future governments.