The European Commission has given Malta a final warning for failing to provide and operate data link services for all operators of aircraft flying within its airspace.
It warned that, if the matter is not resolved within two months, the European Commission may decide to refer the case to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
The final warning, in the form of a reasoned opinion, followed letters of formal notice sent in May last year and again this February.
Data link services are communications between aircraft and the ground that complement voice communications traditionally used within air traffic control.
The deployment of this technology in Europe is essential to improving the efficiency of communications between pilots and controllers, thereby increasing air traffic control capacity, the commission said.
The deadline to adhere to the EU rules expired on February 5, 2018. Reasoned opinions over the same matter were also sent to Cyprus, France, Greece, Portugal and Slovakia.
The commission said a lack of equipment is effectively preventing aircraft operators, which were also required to equip themselves with the technology, from using data link services.
Malta was also among 24 EU member states chastised over the failure to comply with the EU Posting of Workers Enforcement Directive.
The commission opened infringement procedures by sending letters of formal notice to Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia and Finland for failing to bring various national provisions in line with the Enforcement Directive on Posting of Workers.
A ‘posted worker’ is an employee temporarily sent by his or her employer to carry out a job in another EU state.
The directive aims to address issues related to fighting fraud and circumvention of rules, access to information and administrative cooperation between EU member states.
Among others, the directive defines the administrative requirements and control measures that member states may impose to monitor compliance with the rules on posting of workers, defends the their rights and protects them from retaliation by employers, ensures that the rights of posted workers in subcontracting situations are protected and obliges member states to put in place effective, proportionate and dissuasive penalties.
The commission said it was engaging with the 24 states that have not correctly transposed some or all of the provisions.
The states now have two months to comply.
Malta also received a letter of formal notice over its failure to correctly transpose EU radiation protection laws into its national legislation.
Member states were required to transpose the directive by February 6, 2018.
The directive, which modernises and consolidates EU radiation protection legislation, lays down basic safety standards to protect members of the public, workers and patients against the dangers arising from exposure to ionising radiation.
It also includes emerg-ency preparedness and response provisions that were strengthened following the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011.
In this case, the country also has eight weeks to address the shortcomings.