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Corrections

Corrections and changes

Errors are corrected openly, and nothing is changed silently. Every check carries a version number. Each new version, correction and clarification is listed here with the date the research was done and what changed.

How corrections work

  • A correction fixes something a check got wrong: a figure, a source, an attribution or a verdict. It is shown at the top of the check, in its timeline and below.
  • A clarification adds a note where something was right but could mislead.
  • A new version of a report adds evidence, changes its reasoning or corrects errors; its revision note says what changed and whether the verdict changed. A version that corrects errors is listed with the corrections too.
  • Dates are those of the research, from each check's research log (history in its claim record), not the date the site was updated. Every change to a record is also public in the repository's history.

Found an error? Report it or contest a verdict, with the evidence. Updates are also in the feed.

Corrections and clarifications

  1. 10 October 2026 Clarification CC-114 PN: only EU state with rising emissions intensity data/cc-114/checks.csv row 39 called the bridging table's territory-principle line (AEMIS_TER: 2,835 to 2,198 kt, 2013 to 2024; derived from the air emissions accounts, 2024 a Eurostat estimate) the 'territorial inventory total'. It is not: the same table's inventory line (AEMIS_TER_LULUCF less LULUCF) gives 2,825.8 to 2,170.2 kt, as env_air_gge does; that row is now added at the end of the file. The report does not use either figure; findings, verdict and version unchanged.
  2. 6 October 2026 Correction CC-114 PN: only EU state with rising emissions intensity Audit corrections. Sub-claim F and the bound narrowed from 'no renewables policy could have removed the rise' / 'renewables cannot explain the rise' to 'more renewable electricity, on its own, could not have removed the rise' (the bound tests electricity-sector emissions, NACE D, only; zeroing D alone leaves 2024 at 329.8 g/EUR against 325.2 in 2013, +1.4%, checked in calc.py); F stays Contradicted and rates the 'direct result' link as applied to renewables, with 'lack of ambition' (E) not rated. Verdict stays Misleading; confidence lowered from High to Moderate because the deciding sub-claims D and F both rest on the same Eurostat air emissions accounts, including the imputed (flag i) 2024 air-transport value. The 116% is now labelled as the share of the rise in resident-unit emissions (+3.81 Mt), not of the intensity indicator; the 72% and the 4,730 kt air figure are labelled 2024 estimates (flag i); the flyer headline now reads 'since 2013 the rise is airline fuel (2024 estimate)'. The land-transport firms figure (0.05 to 0.09 Mt) was dropped.
  3. 6 October 2026 Clarification CC-114 PN: only EU state with rising emissions intensity Sub-claim C stated to be amber because of Ireland (emissions rose while intensity fell), not because of the emissions-for-intensity label as such; intensity view added (air transport alone about 36 g/EUR in 2013, about 266 in 2024, estimate); consistency sentence added on emissions per person on the residence basis (+69.2%, 27th of 27) and why CC-025 and CC-114 differ (a contradicted causal link). Status unchanged: pending right of reply.
  4. 6 October 2026 Correction CC-102 Ombudsman: 58% of environment recommendations ignored Reconciliation stated: the 42% still open counts the one partly implemented case as implemented (Table 1.3 4+1=5 = chapter five; 7 = 2 later + 5 open); asserted in calc.py. Sub-claim A wording now says the 12 sustained cases closed in 2025. Chapter page cite given as printed pp. 218-219 (PDF pp. 219-220); the printed numbers were already right.
  5. 6 October 2026 Clarification CC-102 Ombudsman: 58% of environment recommendations ignored Cover, footers, flyer and revision log say "no right of reply needed" (status derived by the template). Figure 1 enlarged with source line moved to the caption; page 6 no longer near-empty. Flyer and cover context attribute "highest" to Newsbook.
  6. 6 October 2026 Correction CC-075 Seventh in the EU for cars Wording on the year corrected. The article does not 'give no year': it calls Eurostat's dataset 'as of 2023' and says its graphic illustrates the rankings 'up to the year 2022'. Replaced 'no year given' (claim text, cover, TL;DR, sections 1, 4, 7 and 9, flyer) with the accurate finding: conflicting year signals, and seventh place in the present tense although Eurostat's already-published 2023 figures put Malta about 12th. Verdict stays Misleading; confidence lowered from High to Moderate (maintainer decision), because the interpretive question is what readers take from the conflicting dates.
  7. 6 October 2026 Clarification CC-075 Seventh in the EU for cars Both 'what would move the verdict' boxes rewritten (up no longer cites the article telling readers the year was 2022; down: none foreseen). Section 6 explains the two 602s: the January 2024 value for 2022 (about 602) equals today's 2021 value; the car stock is unchanged (317,234 in revision 647912 and today), so the revision is in the population denominator (implied about 527,000 against 542,051) or its cause is unidentified (January 2024 stock and population not retrieved); checks added to data/cc-075/checks.csv. Section 9: 'A letter ... has been drafted' replaced by 'will be drafted'. Limitations: only the Statistics Explained revision and figure were seen for September 2024, not the database tables; Malta's 2023 rank is read from the chart (about 3 per 1,000 behind France), so 11th or 12th is within reading error, either far from seventh. Status: pending right of reply.
  8. 6 October 2026 Correction CC-045 Do 20 km of tunnels manage flooding? Audit corrections. claim.text and quote restated to the department's and Ellul's own wording as printed by TVM; the MaltaToday headline is no longer part of the rated claim. Sub-claim A re-scoped to the department's own figures and not rated (it was rated Overstated on the headline's 20 km); C and D re-worded to the department's wording; the verdict is stated to rest on C and D and is unchanged (Not substantiated, moderate). Removed the word 'solved' from the fairness note (no cited source uses it). Wording about Ellul and Farrugia changed from 'direct quotes' to pull-quotes attributed by TVM, without printed quotation marks.
  9. 6 October 2026 Clarification CC-045 Do 20 km of tunnels manage flooding? 'No flood-incident series was found' now carries its search log and is worded 'not found in the sources searched'. Added references 8 to 11 (EWA documents, Insurance Association Malta). Layout of the report fixed (table of contents with its heading, section 6 and 7 on one page with the verdict box and its reasoning). Status wording: pending right of reply.
  10. 6 October 2026 Correction CC-039 Net Zero Impact Utility Sub-claim A range corrected to 0.3-2.0 million m3 (9-49% of 4.0) to match data/cc-039/checks.csv (2023: 0.348, 8.7%). Removed the second-hand 4.68 kWh/m3 'RO 2024' figure and the +33% RO electricity bar; replaced by first-hand whole-utility figures from the Impact and Allocation Report 2024. Ratings and label unchanged.
  11. 6 October 2026 Clarification CC-039 Net Zero Impact Utility Baseline wording now 'the last report before the project framework that we read'; WSC project-page source dated 16 Apr 2018; Sapiano page range and p. 30 verified.
  12. 6 October 2026 Clarification CC-037 Highest share reporting pollution Section 5, Q2: the unsourced sentence 'Perception varies with expectations' reworded as general context tied to the cited study [3] (audit of 6 Oct 2026).
  13. 6 October 2026 Clarification CC-032 Solar flowers, first in Europe Wording fixes after the audit, ratings unchanged: (1) MaltaToday source record dated and its note rewritten, added to the report's references as [32]; (2) sub-claim B and the TL;DR state that B is rated on Camilleri's own quoted words ('these first solar flowers in Europe') and the statement's or outlets' 'first installation of its kind in Europe' is context only; (3) sub-claim D quotes the minister on 'lighting and electricity needs', with 'charging' and 'directly offset' kept as the statement's; (4) flyer 'Fair to say' tile now says Parliament was told no other such installation exists in Malta (Newsbook, second-hand).
  14. 6 October 2026 Correction CC-031 Gozo, first climate-neutral region Report section 3: TVM News's indirect speech about the minister ('biggest ever investment in public transport in Gozo') was in quotation marks; now TVM News's own words, unquoted. Removed unsourced assertions (Gozo has no power station; most road emissions are private vehicles; ferry fuel may be counted elsewhere). Removed 'so the pressure runs against the plan' (the +39% is Malta's road emissions, now stated as a national figure). Flyer card '0 Target years found' replaced by 'Not in the quoted words; plan not read'.
  15. 6 October 2026 Clarification CC-031 Gozo, first climate-neutral region claim.text now separates the quoted sentence from Gozo Today's paraphrase. Pledge label stated as a judgement on the quoted words only. Right of reply on hold until the Gozo plan is read (maintainer decision), replacing 'pending right of reply'.
  16. 6 October 2026 Correction CC-029 First offshore wind farm MaltaToday reference (4 Aug 2025, Karl Azzopardi) now cited with its archived title and read in full, replacing a second-hand search summary; the minister's April 2026 dialogue date and end-2027 selection come from that read. Absence of a public notice now stated as what was searched (22 ICM posts since June 2025, tenders page, web searches). TL;DR no longer says the timetable "has slipped". Dalli's "important step forward" words attributed to Newsbook's text (TVM paraphrases without quotation marks).
  17. 6 October 2026 Clarification CC-029 First offshore wind farm Flyer: removed the unsourced inference that a concession looks later. claim.yml source notes made specific; Eurostat marked as a scale check only. Right of reply pending (the check of ICM news back to July 2025 is complete).
  18. 6 October 2026 Correction CC-026 EU's largest rise in emissions Cover status line read 'draft' although the check needs no right of reply (the 5 Oct clarification had not reached the cover); it now reads 'no right of reply needed', derived by the template. The cover and flyer quote is now labelled as the article's opening line, with the headline given separately, instead of appearing as the headline.
  19. 6 October 2026 Clarification CC-026 EU's largest rise in emissions Record fixes: claim.date and the Newsbook source date set to 18 Jun 2026 (were empty and n/d); report sub-claim table gains a 'Said by' column (speakers added to the sub-claims); research log completed. Findings, verdict and confidence unchanged.
  20. 6 October 2026 Correction CC-025 Per-capita emissions down 44% since 2005 Verdict rationale (report section 6): added why the 8-10 point overstatement in volumes (-70%/-72% against 'more than 80%') is a minor caveat under the scale, what would have made it Not substantiated, and the consistency with CC-003 (Misleading on a different ground). Verdict unchanged.
  21. 6 October 2026 Clarification CC-025 Per-capita emissions down 44% since 2005 Records made consistent: the wording is the maintainer-supplied paragraph; our own UNFCCC download was refused (re-tested 6 Oct 2026: 212-byte HTML page, not the .docx). Withdrew the earlier statement in literature/CC-025/primary-source.md that the file was read with a script. Report now discloses in one place that the wording is not independently verified and that the 2023/2024 year choice is our assumption.
  22. 6 October 2026 Clarification CC-025 Per-capita emissions down 44% since 2005 Added context on the residence basis (Eurostat air emissions accounts, env_ac_ainah_r2, all activities and households; population nama_10_pe, retrieved 6 Oct 2026): per-person emissions +69.2% 2013-2024 (7.2 to 12.2 t CO2e; 2024 flagged imputed), rank 27 of 27 (EU-27 -21.2%; Latvia, Romania, Croatia and Lithuania also rose). Matches the CC-114 audit figure when households are included (the activities-only total gives +77%). The claim uses the territorial basis, so verdict, confidence and sub-claim ratings are unchanged. New paragraph in report section 4; caveats and counter_evidence extended.
  23. 6 October 2026 Correction CC-024 Renewables target for 2030 Audit corrections: the sub-claims now rate only the plan's own wording (p. 22, pp. 82-83), not the intake paraphrase "solar PV and offshore wind"; verdict reasoning rests on the p. 22 listing of offshore technologies against p. 83 (no offshore wind by 2030) and no longer on "11.5% is superseded"; NSO PV figures marked second-hand and removed as flyer headline and deciding number (replaced by the plan's 241 to 350 MWp, about 15.6 MWp a year); yield caveat added; tag Promise-without-baseline removed; "On track" restated as on the plan's own path with the Commission caveat. Verdict unchanged.
  24. 6 October 2026 Clarification CC-024 Renewables target for 2030 Claim text and title lines restated to the plan's words; heat-pump counting caveat added; pledge date (7 Jan 2025 submission vs December 2024 plan) explained in caveats; status wording "pending right of reply".
  25. 6 October 2026 Correction CC-020 EP study: noise law not the cause Sub-claim C now rated on the study's own analysis of consultation responses and the petition (Supported (study)); removed the statement that Eurostat's indicator captures exactly what the Directive does not (it includes road traffic, which the Directive covers). The 21% vs 9% figure is no longer described as untraceable or unopened: annex read, origin unidentified. The EEA underestimate is attributed to the EEA (the study, citing EEA). Tag Compliance-not-health added. Verdict and confidence unchanged.
  26. 6 October 2026 Clarification CC-020 EP study: noise law not the cause Right-of-reply wording: the 2026-10-05 version 1.0 entry's 'not yet sent' is superseded; no right of reply is needed for a Largely supported verdict. Cover, footers, flyer, revision log and caveats now say 'no right of reply needed'. Layout fix: the data table on pages 5-6 no longer splits. Flyer verdict note reworded; infringement quote location corrected to chapter 4 in the literature record.
  27. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-037 Highest share reporting pollution Corrections: (1) Amphora names no source and links none; the cover, flyer, references and claim record no longer say it cites Eurostat, and section 1 now says that only the income sentence is attributed, to an unnamed “report”. Likely source added: Eurostat’s Statistics Explained article (last edited 14 Aug 2025) and news release (1 Sep 2025) [5, 6]. (2) Sub-claim D re-rated Accurate (official wording): “reporting exposure to pollution” is Eurostat’s own description of the indicator, so the verdict no longer treats it as a caveat. (3) Sub-claim E re-rated Largely accurate: the split is above against below 60% of median income, and the “above” group is 83.4% of people; the direction reversed in 6 of 17 years; EU-wide it runs the other way (14.0% below, 11.8% above). (4) TL;DR point 4 “Not a recent deterioration” replaced: +8.2 points since 2017, the highest since 2014 (37.4%). (5) The 2021–22 gap explained: the question moved to a three-yearly EU-SILC module collected in 2023 and 2026 [8–10]; removed from the requests. (6) “Move the verdict up” box: none (top of the scale); a Eurostat revision or a survey artefact moved to “down”. (7) Unsourced sentence on density and traffic removed; the indicator is now defined precisely (people living in households where the respondent reports the problem) [7]. (8) Eurostat flags kept (EU-27 2010–2020 estimated; Germany 2023 low reliability); Figure 1 no longer bridges 2021–22; Figure 2 labels to one decimal; table note kept with its table; cover status “draft · no right of reply needed”. Verdict and confidence unchanged.
  28. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-030 Carbon-neutral airport Corrections and maintainer decision: verdict changed from Largely supported to Not substantiated (moderate): the 1,000 t has no published method, and v1.0 tested it with unsourced emission rates. Figure 2 redone on a sourced rate; neutrality and the programme confirmed in independent records; claim restated from MIA’s own documents; citations, page references and context corrected; Figure 1 on linear axes. Verdict now: Not substantiated, moderate confidence.
  29. 5 October 2026 Clarification CC-026 EU's largest rise in emissions Right-of-reply status brought into line with the 5 Oct 2026 rule: a reply is sought only where a check finds a claim Not substantiated, Misleading or Contradicted, so this check needs none. Cover, page footer, flyer and the standards appendix now say so. Findings, verdict and confidence unchanged.
  30. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-022 'Lowest electricity burden in the EU' Corrections. (1) “Lowest in the EU” now says it holds for the standard household band (2,500–4,999 kWh) (TL;DR, tile, Figure 1 caption, table, Q1, sub-claim A, flyer, thumbnail); added one sentence on the other bands (2024-S2: 3rd, 2nd, 16th, 23rd of 27; 4th of 26 on the all-band average). (2) “Tariffs have been frozen since 2014” (no source) → Eurostat’s series: EUR 0.169 (2013-S2) to 0.125 per kWh (2014-S2), then 0.125–0.133 to 2025-S2. (3) The IMF’s EUR 1 billion is now described as energy subsidies for electricity and fuel together, with 2025 projected: Figure 2 caption “what that stability cost” → “energy subsidies as the IMF reports them”; “tariff freeze is financed by” → “fixed electricity and fuel prices are financed by” (TL;DR, Q2, Why, table, tile, flyer). (4) “Eurostat revised 14.33 to 14.35” → difference noted without asserting a revision. (5) IMF reference: DOI added. Verdict and confidence unchanged.
  31. 5 October 2026 Clarification CC-020 EP study: noise law not the cause Right-of-reply status brought into line with the 5 Oct 2026 rule: a reply is sought only where a check finds a claim Not substantiated, Misleading or Contradicted, so this check needs none. Cover, page footer, flyer and the standards appendix now say so. Findings, verdict and confidence unchanged.
  32. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-019 830,000 m2 of land lost in five years Corrections. (1) Periods of the independent estimates: “2018–2023” → land first mapped as built in 2020–21 (3-year rule) and 2019–22 (2-year rule), which is what the rules can detect (TL;DR, tile, sections 3, 4, 5 and 6, limitations, Figure 2 labels and caption). (2) Comino: “about 0.3 of Comino, as stated” → Amphora says “roughly a quarter”; 830,000 m² is 0.24 of the 3.5 km² often quoted and 0.30 of the 2.8 km² OpenStreetMap outline. (3) Simple comparison: “would give 24 km²” → 24 km² of newly built-up pixels, 18.9 km² net (now saved in data/cc-019/io_lulc_change.csv). (4) Year-to-year noise: “more than 15 km², twenty times the change” → 3 to 27 km², the largest over thirty times 0.83 km²; flyer “15 km² a year” → “up to 27 km² from year to year”. (5) The TL;DR now says the two estimates are not like for like. Verdict and confidence unchanged.
  33. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-018 IMF 'confirms' MDA on housing Corrections: (1) “The MDA’s own release was not found” → found and read [5] (published 8 Feb 2026, modified 17 Jun 2026); the quote now uses its wording (“the Malta Developers Association” where MaltaToday wrote “the MDA”) and is no longer second-hand; Section 1 notes that the release does not mention the IMF’s “vulnerability” warning. (2) “Incomes have kept pace with prices” → “incomes grew faster than house prices” (price-to-income −10.7%); flyer “Prices kept pace with incomes” → “Incomes grew faster than prices”. (3) Flyer “IMF: no sign of a bubble” → “IMF: ratios “stable””; sub-claim A “no overvaluation” → “prices aligned with fundamentals”. (4) Housing-cost overburden: Eurostat flags a break in Malta’s series in 2023, so “1.1% → 6.0% (2015–2025)” and “fivefold” → like-for-like runs 1.1% → 2.9% (2015–2022) and 6.0% / 5.9% / 6.0% (2023–2025), in the TL;DR, tile, Figure 1 caption, table, Q3, Limitations and flyer. (5) DOI of the IMF report added to the literature record. Verdict and confidence unchanged.
  34. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-017 Land reclamation outside the Freeport Corrections. (1) The 2019 statement is quoted as said: “least environmental damage” (a paraphrase) → “possible and environmentally safe” (cover, TL;DR, sections 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7); sub-claim C now tests that wording. (2) Distance to Natura 2000: “about 1 km from the Freeport”, measured from an onshore point west of Terminal 2 → 0.4 km from the new land at Terminal 2 to the marine SPA MT0000111 and 0.5 km to the cliff sites (shortest distance to the EEA boundaries; data/cc-017/natura2000_distances.csv); tile “1 km” → “0.4 km”. (3) “Three Natura 2000 sites” → three designations, two of which (SAC MT0000024, SPA MT0000033) overlap on the same cliffs. (4) Flyer: right of reply now names the Finance and Environment ministries, as the report does; the −34% seagrass loss is labelled Mediterranean-wide. Verdict and confidence unchanged.
  35. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-016 Shore-to-ship: 90% less harbour pollution Corrections: (1) “No source gives the basis of the 90%” / “basis not published” → Infrastructure Malta’s 2020 and 2022 pages give it, scoped to the pollution ships produce, with per-liner cuts (NO2 −93%, PM −92.6%, SO2 −99.6%, CO2 −39.6%) [10, 11]; the 2023 page dropped the scope (Section 1). (2) Section 3: the 90% inferred from hotelling’s share of CO2 [7] → Infrastructure Malta’s own per-pollutant figures, research kept as context. (3) Sub-claim D “Consistent” → “Figures vary”: EUR 33m (2024 launch), 37m (phase 1) and 49.9m (whole project); the TL;DR no longer attributes EUR 33m to the project page, which gives no cost. (4) TL;DR point 4 “extra calls roughly cancel the emissions saved” → states that calls are calendar years, uptake July–July and shore power was available from July 2024. (5) 2019 calls: also given by Infrastructure Malta citing the NSO. ‘What would move it down’: removed the clause saying no scoped wording was found. Verdict and confidence unchanged.
  36. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-014 Fewer enforcement notices, fewer illegalities Corrections: (1) 2020 complaints were called “the highest in the series”; now “the highest we could read after FY 2004/05 (3,705)”. (2) “More than three times as many” cases ending in a sanctioning application or removal as in a notice → “about six times” ((521 + 482) / 162 = 6.2). (3) 2019 complaints 3,174 (derived from a news report) → 3,134 (PA Annual Report 2019, p. 17; Figure 1 redrawn) [17]. (4) 2024 confirmed cases ~1,200 → ~1,200–1,250 and the 2020–24 change −34% → −31% to −34%, because the four outcome categories sum to 1,252, more than the “circa half” (1,206) reported. Flyer: “Settled by legalising” → “Applications to legalise” (applications, not permits). Verdict and confidence unchanged.
  37. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-013 Permits keep property prices in check Corrections. (1) Housing-cost overburden: Eurostat flags a break in Malta’s series in 2023, so “1.1% (2015) → 6.0% (2025)” and “more than fivefold” → like-for-like runs “1.1% → 2.9% (2015–2022)” and “6.0% → 5.9% → 6.0% (2023–2025)” (TL;DR, tiles, Figure 2 caption, Section 4 table, Q2, Section 7, Limitations, flyer). (2) Real house prices 2015–2025 (+34% Malta, +25% EU) now written to checks.csv by calc.py, which previously held only 2015–2024 (+26%, +21%); Malta’s 2025 value marked provisional (TL;DR, tiles, Figure 1 caption, table “+34%” → “+34% (p)”); table note now states each price row’s basis and period (real, HICP-deflated, to 2025; nominal to 2024). (3) data/cc-013/eurostat_housing.csv: the second sts_cobp_a series each year relabelled as m² of useful floor area (it had the dwellings label); Eurostat flags recorded. (4) Q1: “the most plausible reason … the research supports this” → stated as our inference, not tested for Malta. Verdict and confidence unchanged.
  38. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-012 Ta' Qali gravel and grass Corrections: (1) Sentinel-2 values recomputed with the reflectance offset (BOA_ADD_OFFSET −1000, processing baseline 04.00 and later) that 1.0 omitted, which had pulled NDVI towards zero. Zone winter NDVI before the gravel 0.37 / 0.47 / 0.38 → 0.53 / 0.67 / 0.57; rest of the park 0.39–0.40 → 0.65–0.68; winter 2025–26 zone 0.11 → 0.15, park 0.38 → 0.68; pre-gravel summers about 0.11 → about 0.15; winter ratio zone/park 0.99 → 0.88 before and 0.30 → 0.23 after (data/cc-012/checks.csv); zone brightness now in reflectance, May → Aug 2025 0.19 → 0.32 (1.0 gave raw values 2881 → 4191). Figures 1 and 2 redrawn; Figure 1 was washed out. Zone (2.8 ha) and scene set (199) unchanged. (2) “Two normal winters” corrected to three (2023, 2024, 2025); “level with the rest of the park” changed to “close to”. (3) Removed the unsourced statement that Summer Daze took place in August 2026. (4) “What would move it down” rewritten: Contradicted is already the lowest rating. (5) Flyer: the 2.8 ha zone was called the “same area” as Momentum’s 2.2 ha; it is about a quarter larger. (6) Layout: removed a near-empty page. Verdict and confidence unchanged. Verdict now: Contradicted, high confidence.
  39. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-011 Ten minutes' walk to green space Corrections: the flyer said that, read broadly, the pledge “is met today”; it now says “already almost met”, as the report does (a screening estimate). The unsourced seat count (“36 seats to 29”) is removed; the 30 May 2026 election is now sourced. Verdict and confidence unchanged.
  40. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-010 Tree-planting counts Corrections: the pledge was framed as open until 2027; it now records that the legislature ended with the snap general election of 30 May 2026 [8] and that about 75% of the five-year period had passed by end-2025, against about 60% of the trees reported (the “2027 deadline” tile is replaced). Added Labour's own 2026 manifesto count, more than 57,000 trees for 2022–2025 [9], alongside the Minister's ~60,000. Updated the voucher scheme to 23,000 trees in vouchers issued by 13 May 2026 [10]; vouchers are not trees planted. Cover note shortened to fit; italics fixed. Verdict and confidence unchanged.
  41. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-009 More RO, less WSC groundwater Corrections: (1) Groundwater-body status: the table gave the plan's counts alone (quantitative ‘2 poor’, chemical ‘14 poor’). It now shows the plan alongside Malta's 3rd-cycle EU reporting to the EEA (4 poor quantitatively, 15 poor chemically) and states the difference; TL;DR, verdict text and flyer card updated to match. (2) Cover verdict line ‘aquifer status remains a separate question’ and flyer ‘aquifer status remains poor’ → both ‘aquifers last assessed as poor’. (3) ‘Lowest in a decade’ in the TL;DR and section 2 is now attributed to WSC. (4) Reference [6] is now cited in section 2; reference [7] added for the EU reporting. Verdict and confidence unchanged.
  42. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-008 Flyovers and congestion Corrections: the Msida quotation now matches the wording on Infrastructure Malta's page (checked 5 October 2026); the earlier quotation included words (“this project”, “which will be”) not on the page as checked, and the forecast reading now rests on the statement having been published before works began. Added the Marsa release's wording on “significant air quality improvements in Paola and Marsa”. Heading typo “Mars” corrected to “Marsa”. Verdict and confidence unchanged.
  43. 5 October 2026 Clarification CC-007 Within EU limits vs WHO guideline Source 6 (CDE News) is headlined 'Malta News Briefing – Saturday 19 July 2023', but the page was published on 19 July 2025 (its own metadata; 19 July 2025 was a Saturday). The record already gave the 2025 date; a note now says that the year in the headline is the publisher's. No figure or finding changes.
  44. 5 October 2026 Clarification CC-007 Within EU limits vs WHO guideline Right-of-reply status brought into line with the 5 Oct 2026 rule: a reply is sought only where a check finds a claim Not substantiated, Misleading or Contradicted, so this check needs none. Cover, page footer, flyer and the standards appendix now say so. Findings, verdict and confidence unchanged.
  45. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-005 “92% excellent” bathing water Corrections: (1) the ‘what would move the verdict’ boxes were reversed. ‘Up’ listed conditions that would lower the verdict, and ‘down’ cited a newer season at 92% or more. Now: up, none (Supported is the top of the scale; naming the 2023 season would remove the date caveat); down, a different 2023 count, a later intended season or an incompatible denominator. (2) Balluta Bay warning start: ‘31 May 2024’ → ‘late May 2024’. Our bibliography gave 21 May, and news reports date the two sites’ warnings ten days apart; the primary report could not be re-opened to settle it. (3) 2023 sample count: ‘—’ → 2,021 (EEA WISE dataset). (4) Page footer: ‘pending right of reply’ → ‘right of reply not sought’, matching the maintainer’s decision. Verdict and confidence unchanged.
  46. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-003 Per-capita emissions vs 2030 projection Corrections. (1) Section 4 table, EU 2030 effort-sharing projection: “−31% / …” → “−31% / −38%” (existing / additional measures, Commission Table 25). (2) EU industrial emissions, 2005–2023: “fell” → “−36%” (Commission p. 44). (3) “Widest margin in the EU” → “widest margin in the EU in percentage points” (TL;DR, Sections 6 and 7, flyer); Section 4 adds that in tonnes Germany’s projected 2030 shortfall (64 Mt) exceeds Malta’s (0.5 Mt). (4) Commission page numbers changed from PDF to printed pages: p. 115 → pp. 114–115 (Figure 2 label → p. 114), p. 126 → 125, p. 45 → 44, p. 52 → 51–52, p. 60 → 59. (5) Flyer title “Emissions down 44%” → “Emissions per person down 44%”; the two “+41%” flyer cards retitled “Population growth since 2005” and “Target-sector emissions, 2024”. (6) data/cc-003/checks.csv now also holds the EU-27 values shown in the Section 4 table. Verdict and confidence unchanged.
  47. 5 October 2026 Correction CC-002 Comino tree compensation Right-of-reply status made consistent: the cover, page footer, closing line and flyer said the draft was pending right of reply or that it remained with the maintainer, while the report body said right of reply was not sought, at the maintainer's direction. All now say no right of reply is needed, under the 5 Oct 2026 rule that a reply is sought only for Not substantiated, Misleading or Contradicted verdicts. Findings, verdict and confidence unchanged.
  48. 2 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-001 Upper Barrakka concrete Incorporates the full Times of Malta article. Claim restated as conditional on the concrete being temporary. Added a check of Ambjent’s own reasoning, a new contested question on temporary cover, and sub-claims B, C and F. Photo description revised. Added references [17] and [18]. Verdict label unchanged (Not substantiated); the reasoning changed from blanket claim overstated to conditional claim plausible but unevidenced. Verdict now: Not substantiated, moderate confidence.

Versions of each check

Each report's revision log: the first issue of every check and each version after it.

  1. 19 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-124 CCPI 2026: Malta 25th, car use not down 1.0: first issue. Verdict Largely supported (moderate); no right of reply needed. Verdict now: Largely supported, moderate confidence.
  2. 15 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-118 Council: Malta second-highest water stress, groundwater failing First issue. Largely supported (high). No right of reply needed. Verdict now: Largely supported, high confidence.
  3. 15 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-098 Officials enforce private interests at Blue Lagoon First issue. Verdict Largely supported (moderate confidence); no right of reply needed. Verdict now: Largely supported, moderate confidence.
  4. 14 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-120 EP study: 54,000 exposed to road noise, likely an underestimate First issue. Largely supported (moderate). No right of reply needed. Verdict now: Largely supported, moderate confidence.
  5. 14 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-116 UNESCO: Valletta setting not safeguarded First issue. Verdict Supported (high confidence); no right of reply needed. Verdict now: Supported, high confidence.
  6. 13 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-089 Growth outpacing infrastructure First issue. Largely supported (moderate). No right of reply needed. Verdict now: Largely supported, moderate confidence.
  7. 12 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-086 Comino kiosks tendered from 2026 First issue. Pledge label Missed (moderate): the tender promised from summer 2026 did not take place, by the MTA's own account. Pending right of reply.
  8. 11 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-108 Net-zero impact on the groundwater environment First issue. Pledge label: not measurable. Draft pending right of reply.
  9. 10 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-095 EUR 400m to keep bills low First issue. Verdict Not substantiated (moderate confidence): prices unchanged, as stated; the central figure, about EUR 400m in 2026 and 2027, is an estimate and a forecast that cannot yet be tested. Pledge label Not yet due (support kept in 2027). Right of reply on hold until the Pre-Budget Document 2027 is read. Verdict now: Not substantiated, moderate confidence.
  10. 10 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-092 PN: afforestation in a net-zero Gozo First issue. Pledge label Not measurable as of 10 October 2026; pending right of reply from the Partit Nazzjonalista. Complements Claim Check 107 (the net-zero plan) with the afforestation arithmetic, Gozo's land cover, water limits and the search for an indigenous-tree strategy.
  11. 10 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-085 4.7 million tourists needed First issue. Verdict Largely supported (moderate confidence); no right of reply needed. Verdict now: Largely supported, moderate confidence.
  12. 10 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-079 Waste-to-energy: 4.5% of energy First issue. Verdict Misleading (moderate confidence); pending right of reply. Verdict now: Misleading, moderate confidence.
  13. 10 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-071 EUR 100m a year for free buses First issue. Verdict Not substantiated (low confidence); pending right of reply. Verdict now: Not substantiated, low confidence.
  14. 9 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-065 Ġgantija buffer zone permit First issue. Verdict Largely supported (moderate confidence); no right of reply needed. Verdict now: Largely supported, moderate confidence.
  15. 9 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-055 Manoel Island back to the public First issue. Verdict Supported (moderate confidence); pledge label Not measurable (as of 9 Oct 2026); pending right of reply. Verdict now: Supported, moderate confidence.
  16. 8 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-062 Construction is 9-14% of the economy First issue. Verdict Largely supported (moderate confidence); no right of reply needed. Verdict now: Largely supported, moderate confidence.
  17. 7 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-040 Low water use per head First issue. No right of reply needed. Verdict now: Largely supported, moderate confidence.
  18. 6 October 2026 Version 1.1 CC-114 PN: only EU state with rising emissions intensity 1.1: corrections after the 6 Oct 2026 audit: F wording narrowed, confidence High to Moderate, estimates labelled, C reason stated, land-transport figure dropped. Verdict Misleading (moderate confidence); pending right of reply (Nationalist Party). Verdict now: Misleading, moderate confidence.
  19. 6 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-114 PN: only EU state with rising emissions intensity First issue. Verdict Misleading (high confidence); pending right of reply (Nationalist Party).
  20. 6 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-113 EEA: Malta among highest fossil-fuel subsidies relative to GDP First issue. Verdict Largely supported (moderate confidence); no right of reply needed. Verdict now: Largely supported, moderate confidence.
  21. 6 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-109 EU: transport is 48% of effort-sharing emissions First issue. Largely supported (high confidence); no right of reply needed. Verdict now: Largely supported, high confidence.
  22. 6 October 2026 Version 1.1 CC-102 Ombudsman: 58% of environment recommendations ignored 1.1: corrections after the 6 Oct 2026 audit: reconciliation of Table 1.3 with the chapter, page cite, sub-claim A wording, status wording, layout, re-checks. Verdict unchanged (Largely supported, high). Verdict now: Largely supported, high confidence.
  23. 6 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-101 EU: no registration or prior authorisation of water abstraction in Malta First issue. Verdict Largely supported (moderate confidence); no right of reply needed. Verdict now: Largely supported, moderate confidence.
  24. 6 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-099 Foreign residents: 31% now, 38% by 2030 First issue. Verdict Not substantiated (low confidence): the 31% is right; the 38% by 2030 has not been shown. Right of reply to PwC Malta on hold until its Summer 2026 Economic Update is read. Verdict now: Not substantiated, low confidence.
  25. 6 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-094 Commission: Malta to emit more in 2030 than in 2005 First issue. No right of reply needed for a Supported verdict. Verdict now: Supported, high confidence.
  26. 6 October 2026 Version 1.1 CC-075 Seventh in the EU for cars 1.1: corrections after the 6 Oct 2026 audit: year wording, confidence High to Moderate, what-would-move boxes, 602 to 585 explanation, reply sentence, limitations. Pending right of reply. Verdict now: Misleading, moderate confidence.
  27. 6 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-075 Seventh in the EU for cars First issue. Draft verdict Misleading (high confidence); pending right of reply (Lovin Malta).
  28. 6 October 2026 Version 1.1 CC-045 Do 20 km of tunnels manage flooding? 1.1: corrections after the 6 Oct 2026 audit: claim restated to the speaker's wording, sub-claim A not rated, verdict basis stated (C and D), unsourced word removed, quotation marks wording corrected, flood-incident search logged, layout fixed. Verdict unchanged. Verdict now: Not substantiated, moderate confidence.
  29. 6 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-045 Do 20 km of tunnels manage flooding? First issue. Verdict Not substantiated (moderate), pending right of reply from the Public Works Department.
  30. 6 October 2026 Version 1.1 CC-039 Net Zero Impact Utility 1.1: corrections after the 6 Oct 2026 audit: sub-claim A range, second-hand energy inputs replaced by first-hand figures, baseline wording, source date, Sapiano pages. Label unchanged (Not measurable). Pending right of reply.
  31. 6 October 2026 Version 1.2 CC-037 Highest share reporting pollution 1.2: clarification after the 6 Oct 2026 audit; verdict unchanged. Verdict now: Supported, high confidence.
  32. 6 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-035 PM2.5 death rate down two-thirds First issue. Verdict Largely supported (high confidence); no right of reply needed. Verdict now: Largely supported, high confidence.
  33. 6 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-034 Air Quality Plan 'already yielding results' First issue. Draft verdict Not substantiated (moderate); pending right of reply from the Environment and Resources Authority. Verdict now: Not substantiated, moderate confidence.
  34. 6 October 2026 Version 1.1 CC-032 Solar flowers, first in Europe 1.1: corrections after the 6 Oct 2026 audit: MaltaToday read and cited, sub-claim B rated on the minister's own words, sub-claim D quotes his wording on lighting and electricity, flyer Malta-first wording follows Newsbook. Verdict Contradicted (high confidence) unchanged; pending right of reply. Verdict now: Contradicted, high confidence.
  35. 6 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-032 Solar flowers, first in Europe First issue. Verdict Contradicted (high confidence); pending right of reply (Ministry for Gozo and Planning; Public Works Department).
  36. 6 October 2026 Version 1.1 CC-031 Gozo, first climate-neutral region 1.1: corrections after the 6 Oct 2026 audit: paraphrase unquoted, unsourced assertions removed, rhetoric removed, plan search repeated and logged, earlier 2030 mentions recorded, label basis and right-of-reply status clarified. Verdict now: Largely supported, moderate confidence.
  37. 6 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-031 Gozo, first climate-neutral region First issue. Verdict Largely supported (moderate confidence) for the fleet; pledge label Not measurable (as of 6 Oct 2026); pending right of reply.
  38. 6 October 2026 Version 1.1 CC-029 First offshore wind farm 1.1: corrections after the 6 Oct 2026 audit: MaltaToday source read and cited exactly; search log for the absence of a notice; TL;DR and flyer wording; Newsbook quotation checked; source notes. Verdict (Largely supported) and pledge label (Off track) unchanged; pending right of reply. Verdict now: Largely supported, moderate confidence.
  39. 6 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-029 First offshore wind farm First issue. Verdict Largely supported (moderate confidence); pledge label Off track (as of 6 Oct 2026); pending right of reply.
  40. 6 October 2026 Version 1.1 CC-026 EU's largest rise in emissions 1.1: corrections after the 6 Oct 2026 audit: cover status, quote labelling, claim date and speaker records. Verdict now: Largely supported, high confidence.
  41. 6 October 2026 Version 1.2 CC-025 Per-capita emissions down 44% since 2005 1.2: residence-basis context added (report section 4, caveats, counter_evidence, cross-reference to CC-114). Verdict unchanged (Largely supported, moderate); no right of reply needed. Verdict now: Largely supported, moderate confidence.
  42. 6 October 2026 Version 1.1 CC-025 Per-capita emissions down 44% since 2005 1.1: corrections after the 6 Oct 2026 audit: verdict rationale, consistent record of how the wording was obtained, year choice disclosed. Verdict unchanged (Largely supported, moderate); no right of reply needed.
  43. 6 October 2026 Version 1.1 CC-024 Renewables target for 2030 1.1: corrections after the 6 Oct 2026 audit: claim restated to the plan's words, sub-claims rebuilt, second-hand PV figures demoted, pledge caveat added, tag removed. Verdict now: Not substantiated, moderate confidence.
  44. 6 October 2026 Version 1.1 CC-020 EP study: noise law not the cause 1.1: corrections after the 6 Oct 2026 audit: sub-claim C evidence, 21% vs 9% tracing, EEA attribution, right-of-reply wording, layout, tag. Verdict now: Largely supported, moderate confidence.
  45. 5 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-115 Chamber: congestion cost EUR 770m, 3.4% of GDP First issue. Verdict Not substantiated (moderate confidence); pending right of reply. Verdict now: Not substantiated, moderate confidence.
  46. 5 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-112 IMF: population up 25% in a decade First issue. Verdict Largely supported (high confidence); no right of reply needed. Verdict now: Largely supported, high confidence.
  47. 5 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-111 EU: 621 kg of waste a head, 74% landfilled First issue. Verdict Supported (high confidence); no right of reply needed. Verdict now: Supported, high confidence.
  48. 5 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-110 EU: 37.7% of new cars zero-emission First issue. Verdict Supported (high confidence); no right of reply needed. Verdict now: Supported, high confidence.
  49. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1 CC-107 A net-zero Gozo by 2040 Maintainer decision (5 Oct 2026): pledges get one of six pledge labels instead of a verdict (methodology, Pledges). This pure pledge check is now labelled “Not measurable” as of 5 October 2026 in place of the verdict “Not substantiated” (moderate); the analysis and numbers are unchanged. Appendix A lists the pledge labels.
  50. 5 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-107 A net-zero Gozo by 2040 First issue as a separate check. The analysis first appeared as pledge 2 of Claim Check 011 (v1.0, 2 Oct 2026; v1.1, 5 Oct 2026). New in this issue: the 2023 Energy Baseline Scenario for Gozo [6], which gives an energy-emissions baseline and puts the forest needed at 4.9–6.3 times Gozo’s area at the measured rate (the 1.5–8.5 times range is kept). Verdict as in Claim Check 011: not substantiated, moderate confidence. Draft pending right of reply from the Partit Nazzjonalista.
  51. 5 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-106 Shearwaters: 10% of the world population First issue. Verdict Largely supported (moderate confidence); no right of reply needed. Verdict now: Largely supported, moderate confidence.
  52. 5 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-105 ADPD: no study of Freeport and airport noise First issue. Verdict Largely supported (moderate confidence); no right of reply needed. Verdict now: Largely supported, moderate confidence.
  53. 5 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-102 Ombudsman: 58% of environment recommendations ignored First issue. 7 of 12 and 22 reports confirmed from the tables; caveats: small count, status at closure (5 of 12 still open), ranking depends on denominator. Largely supported, high confidence.
  54. 5 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-100 Over 10 million airport passengers First issue. Verdict Supported (high confidence); no right of reply needed. Verdict now: Supported, high confidence.
  55. 5 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-091 Inspections doubled First issue. Verdict Largely supported (moderate confidence); no right of reply needed. Verdict now: Largely supported, moderate confidence.
  56. 5 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-088 Population 588,254 First issue. Verdict Supported (high confidence); no right of reply needed. Verdict now: Supported, high confidence.
  57. 5 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-076 36 more vehicles a day First issue. Verdict Supported (high confidence); no right of reply needed. Verdict now: Supported, high confidence.
  58. 5 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-063 Construction waste: 'standstill' warning First issue. Verdict Not substantiated (moderate confidence); pending right of reply. Verdict now: Not substantiated, moderate confidence.
  59. 5 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-053 Milky Way visible from 13% of Malta First issue. Verdict Supported (high confidence); no right of reply needed. Verdict now: Supported, high confidence.
  60. 5 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-050 'Race to weaken hunting laws' First issue. Verdict Not substantiated (moderate confidence); pending right of reply. Verdict now: Not substantiated, moderate confidence.
  61. 5 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-047 Nitrates in the aquifer First issue. Verdict Largely supported (moderate confidence); no right of reply needed. Verdict now: Largely supported, moderate confidence.
  62. 5 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-042 'From Blue Flag to Red Alert' First issue. Verdict Largely supported (moderate confidence); no right of reply needed. Verdict now: Largely supported, moderate confidence.
  63. 5 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-039 Net Zero Impact Utility First issue. Pledge label: not measurable. Draft pending right of reply.
  64. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-037 Highest share reporting pollution Corrections: (1) Amphora names no source and links none; the cover, flyer, references and claim record no longer say it cites Eurostat, and section 1 now says that only the income sentence is attributed, to an unnamed “report”. Likely source added: Eurostat’s Statistics Explained article (last edited 14 Aug 2025) and news release (1 Sep 2025) [5, 6]. (2) Sub-claim D re-rated Accurate (official wording): “reporting exposure to pollution” is Eurostat’s own description of the indicator, so the verdict no longer treats it as a caveat. (3) Sub-claim E re-rated Largely accurate: the split is above against below 60% of median income, and the “above” group is 83.4% of people; the direction reversed in 6 of 17 years; EU-wide it runs the other way (14.0% below, 11.8% above). (4) TL;DR point 4 “Not a recent deterioration” replaced: +8.2 points since 2017, the highest since 2014 (37.4%). (5) The 2021–22 gap explained: the question moved to a three-yearly EU-SILC module collected in 2023 and 2026 [8–10]; removed from the requests. (6) “Move the verdict up” box: none (top of the scale); a Eurostat revision or a survey artefact moved to “down”. (7) Unsourced sentence on density and traffic removed; the indicator is now defined precisely (people living in households where the respondent reports the problem) [7]. (8) Eurostat flags kept (EU-27 2010–2020 estimated; Germany 2023 low reliability); Figure 1 no longer bridges 2021–22; Figure 2 labels to one decimal; table note kept with its table; cover status “draft · no right of reply needed”. Verdict and confidence unchanged.
  65. 5 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-037 Highest share reporting pollution First issue. Verdict Supported (high confidence); no right of reply needed.
  66. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-030 Carbon-neutral airport Corrections and maintainer decision: verdict changed from Largely supported to Not substantiated (moderate): the 1,000 t has no published method, and v1.0 tested it with unsourced emission rates. Figure 2 redone on a sourced rate; neutrality and the programme confirmed in independent records; claim restated from MIA’s own documents; citations, page references and context corrected; Figure 1 on linear axes. Verdict now: Not substantiated, moderate confidence.
  67. 5 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-030 Carbon-neutral airport First issue. No right of reply needed (Largely supported).
  68. 5 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-026 EU's largest rise in emissions First issue. Right of reply not sent: the claim reports a Eurostat estimate; any reply is for the maintainer to decide.
  69. 5 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-025 Per-capita emissions down 44% since 2005 First issue. Verdict Largely supported (moderate confidence); no right of reply needed.
  70. 5 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-024 Renewables target for 2030 First issue. Draft pending right of reply from the Energy and Water Agency and the responsible Ministry.
  71. 5 October 2026 Version 1.2 CC-022 'Lowest electricity burden in the EU' Upgrade: (1) New Section 4 tests “burden” against income and use (Eurostat; Figure 4 and a table): typical bill 2.2% of median income (EU 4.7%), 2nd of 27 after Luxembourg; 3.5% of a 20th-percentile income, 2nd; average household’s actual bill 1.26% of disposable income, 5th of 26; spending share 2.3% in 2020, joint 7th of 24; arrears 9th and keeping warm 17th of 27; summer comfort 2012 (25th). (2) New Figure 2: Malta’s price and rank in every consumption band, 2024-S2 and 2025-S2. (3) Figure 3 (was 2) now starts in 2012 and shows the 2014 tariff cut. (4) TL;DR, key points, tiles, Q1, sub-claim D text, Why, Limitations, references and flyer updated; fairness note added. Verdict, confidence and sub-claim ratings unchanged. Maintainer decision (5 Oct 2026): verdict kept as Largely supported; confidence lowered from High to Moderate, because the income-based measures in Section 4 mix survey and national-accounts sources and some inputs are provisional. Maintainer decision (5 Oct 2026): a right of reply is sought only where a check finds a claim Not substantiated, Misleading or Contradicted, so this check needs none; cover, page footer and flyer now say “no right of reply needed”. Verdict now: Largely supported, moderate confidence.
  72. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-022 'Lowest electricity burden in the EU' Corrections. (1) “Lowest in the EU” now says it holds for the standard household band (2,500–4,999 kWh) (TL;DR, tile, Figure 1 caption, table, Q1, sub-claim A, flyer, thumbnail); added one sentence on the other bands (2024-S2: 3rd, 2nd, 16th, 23rd of 27; 4th of 26 on the all-band average). (2) “Tariffs have been frozen since 2014” (no source) → Eurostat’s series: EUR 0.169 (2013-S2) to 0.125 per kWh (2014-S2), then 0.125–0.133 to 2025-S2. (3) The IMF’s EUR 1 billion is now described as energy subsidies for electricity and fuel together, with 2025 projected: Figure 2 caption “what that stability cost” → “energy subsidies as the IMF reports them”; “tariff freeze is financed by” → “fixed electricity and fuel prices are financed by” (TL;DR, Q2, Why, table, tile, flyer). (4) “Eurostat revised 14.33 to 14.35” → difference noted without asserting a revision. (5) IMF reference: DOI added. Verdict and confidence unchanged.
  73. 5 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-020 EP study: noise law not the cause First issue. Right of reply not yet sent.
  74. 5 October 2026 Version 1.2 CC-019 830,000 m2 of land lost in five years Upgrade. (1) Amphora’s published change polygons [8] measured: 397 polygons, 828,429 m², so “nearly 830,000” is reproduced and the headline’s “over” is not. (2) Spatial cross-check with the independent model: “an independent measurement finds more, not less” and “plausible and conservative” → the model already maps 68% of Amphora’s area as built-up in 2018, 6–14% as new, and only 2–3% of its new built-up land lies inside Amphora’s polygons, so it neither confirms nor rules out the figure (TL;DR, tiles, sections 2–8, flyer). (3) The 2024 and 2025 maps added from Esri’s service (identical to the earlier maps for 2017–2023): net totals −0.06 to 2.96 km² by rule. (4) Sub-claim A “supported” → “plausible”; sub-claim C “not shown” → “needs context”: cropland + grass = 96% of the area with a known 2018 class (our reading of the basis of “nearly 95%”). (5) Sub-claim D: the 2006–2012 EEA figure checked with the CORINE change map (20.6 ha; 93.7 ha for 2012–2018). (6) New Figure 1 (Amphora’s polygons over the model’s new built-up land), replacing the map of new built-up pixels; Figure 2 redrawn with four rules and Amphora’s own 2018 classes. Verdict and confidence unchanged. Maintainer decision (5 Oct 2026): imagery spot-check of Amphora’s polygons, with confidence set by a rule fixed beforehand (moderate if more than half of the sampled area is confirmed, low otherwise). 40 draws by systematic sampling proportional to area (seed 20261005; 39 polygons) checked by eye against Esri World Imagery Wayback [11, 12] from 2015–16, 2018, 2023 and 2025: 72.5% of the sampled area confirmed green to grey (95% interval 57–84%), 7.5% partial, 2.5% already grey, 17.5% unclear (15% being developed by September 2018); 55% grey by May 2023; fields 59% of the land before (64% with orchards). Confidence: moderate. New subsection and table rows in section 4; TL;DR (key points, tiles, what would move the verdict), sections 2, 5 to 8 and the flyer updated; Q1 “plausible, unconfirmed” → “mostly confirmed”; Q2 “depends on definitions” → “overstated”; sub-claim A “plausible” → “largely supported”; sub-claim C “needs context” → “partly supported”. Verdict unchanged. Maintainer decision (5 Oct 2026): verdict changed from Largely supported to Not substantiated (moderate). Read as worded, the claim dates nearly 830,000 m² to 2018–2023; imagery puts about 456,000 m² (330,000–574,000) grey by May 2023 and about 600,000 m² by 2025. It says nearly 95% was farmland; fields were 59% (64% with orchards) and scrub or garrigue 36%. Sub-claim A “largely supported” → “partly supported”; C “partly supported” → “not substantiated”; Q1 retitled. TL;DR, tiles, what would move the verdict, verdict box, Why, flyer and claim.yml updated. A right of reply from Amphora Media is needed. Verdict now: Not substantiated, moderate confidence.
  75. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-019 830,000 m2 of land lost in five years Corrections. (1) Periods of the independent estimates: “2018–2023” → land first mapped as built in 2020–21 (3-year rule) and 2019–22 (2-year rule), which is what the rules can detect (TL;DR, tile, sections 3, 4, 5 and 6, limitations, Figure 2 labels and caption). (2) Comino: “about 0.3 of Comino, as stated” → Amphora says “roughly a quarter”; 830,000 m² is 0.24 of the 3.5 km² often quoted and 0.30 of the 2.8 km² OpenStreetMap outline. (3) Simple comparison: “would give 24 km²” → 24 km² of newly built-up pixels, 18.9 km² net (now saved in data/cc-019/io_lulc_change.csv). (4) Year-to-year noise: “more than 15 km², twenty times the change” → 3 to 27 km², the largest over thirty times 0.83 km²; flyer “15 km² a year” → “up to 27 km² from year to year”. (5) The TL;DR now says the two estimates are not like for like. Verdict and confidence unchanged.
  76. 5 October 2026 Version 1.2 CC-018 IMF 'confirms' MDA on housing Upgrade: (1) New Section 5 and sub-claims D–G test the release’s other statements: the IMF’s two-year cycle (supported [2]); “the first EU economy” on it (contradicted: Luxembourg was on the 24-month cycle in 2000–2002 [9]; Malta is the only EU member on it in the 2025–2026 reports [8]; IMF criteria [7]); GDP per head “nearly doubled” (largely supported) and “far higher than the EU average” (not substantiated) [10]. (2) Section 1: the IMF phrases the release quotes on overvaluation and income growth, not in Country Report 26/29, traced to an IMF Selected Issues paper of 13 March 2026 [6]. (3) Section 4: house prices to the second quarter of 2026 (provisional) and Figure 3, house prices against incomes per head, 2015 = 100. (4) TL;DR, key points, tiles, Section 3 table, Why, requests, limitations and flyer updated; sections renumbered. Verdict unchanged. Maintainer decision (5 Oct 2026): confidence raised from Moderate to High, because the MDA’s own release is now verified. Maintainer decision (5 Oct 2026): a right of reply is sought only where a check finds a claim Not substantiated, Misleading or Contradicted, so this check needs none; cover, page footer and flyer now say “no right of reply needed”. Verdict now: Largely supported, high confidence.
  77. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-018 IMF 'confirms' MDA on housing Corrections: (1) “The MDA’s own release was not found” → found and read [5] (published 8 Feb 2026, modified 17 Jun 2026); the quote now uses its wording (“the Malta Developers Association” where MaltaToday wrote “the MDA”) and is no longer second-hand; Section 1 notes that the release does not mention the IMF’s “vulnerability” warning. (2) “Incomes have kept pace with prices” → “incomes grew faster than house prices” (price-to-income −10.7%); flyer “Prices kept pace with incomes” → “Incomes grew faster than prices”. (3) Flyer “IMF: no sign of a bubble” → “IMF: ratios “stable””; sub-claim A “no overvaluation” → “prices aligned with fundamentals”. (4) Housing-cost overburden: Eurostat flags a break in Malta’s series in 2023, so “1.1% → 6.0% (2015–2025)” and “fivefold” → like-for-like runs 1.1% → 2.9% (2015–2022) and 6.0% / 5.9% / 6.0% (2023–2025), in the TL;DR, tile, Figure 1 caption, table, Q3, Limitations and flyer. (5) DOI of the IMF report added to the literature record. Verdict and confidence unchanged.
  78. 5 October 2026 Version 1.2 CC-017 Land reclamation outside the Freeport Upgrade. (1) New Figure 3: a map of Marsaxlokk Bay with sea depth (EMODnet), mapped Posidonia meadows, full-resolution Natura 2000 boundaries and the new land at Terminal 2; within 1 km of the new land the sea is mostly 5–30 m deep. (2) Fairness: Malta’s Article 17 reports assess its Posidonia beds as favourable overall (2013–2018; 2019–2024, stable); the −34% loss is Mediterranean-wide (section 3, Q2, TL;DR, flyer). (3) The Prime Minister’s words are now quoted in full from Lovin Malta, and tested as sub-claim E (not tested: “ideal” is not defined). (4) Tile “0.4 km” → mapped Posidonia within 1 km of the new land (the 0.4 km stays in the text). (5) A bay-wide Sentinel-2 check for other new land was tried and dropped as not robust (limitations). Verdict and confidence unchanged. Maintainer decision (5 Oct 2026): the map and all seagrass statistics now use the EMODnet Seabed Habitats layer only (CC BY 4.0), whose Maltese map (2016) is gridded at about 230 m (limitations). Mapped Posidonia lies next to the new land (0.01 km, one grid cell), 72 ha within 1 km; mapped meadows lie at 11–35 m in the bay (median 26 m) and 21–32 m within 1 km (median 29 m). Tile and flyer card “72 ha”. Verdict and confidence unchanged. Verdict now: Not substantiated, moderate confidence.
  79. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-017 Land reclamation outside the Freeport Corrections. (1) The 2019 statement is quoted as said: “least environmental damage” (a paraphrase) → “possible and environmentally safe” (cover, TL;DR, sections 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7); sub-claim C now tests that wording. (2) Distance to Natura 2000: “about 1 km from the Freeport”, measured from an onshore point west of Terminal 2 → 0.4 km from the new land at Terminal 2 to the marine SPA MT0000111 and 0.5 km to the cliff sites (shortest distance to the EEA boundaries; data/cc-017/natura2000_distances.csv); tile “1 km” → “0.4 km”. (3) “Three Natura 2000 sites” → three designations, two of which (SAC MT0000024, SPA MT0000033) overlap on the same cliffs. (4) Flyer: right of reply now names the Finance and Environment ministries, as the report does; the −34% seagrass loss is labelled Mediterranean-wide. Verdict and confidence unchanged.
  80. 5 October 2026 Version 1.2 CC-016 Shore-to-ship: 90% less harbour pollution Upgrade: (1) New Figure 1: the 373 berths split into 35 plugged in by MSC World Europa, 32 by all other ships and 306 not plugged in, beside the 90% per connected liner and the 9% of berth time plugged in (counts re-read in [4] and reconciled; second-hand); former Figures 1 and 2 renumbered 2 and 3. (2) MSC World Europa is LNG-powered (dual-fuel LNG / low-sulphur marine gasoil), from its owner’s release [12]: Section 3, Q1 and limitations. (3) Plug-in rates added: MSC World Europa 35 of 51 calls, all other ships 32 of 322. (4) TL;DR point 3, a tile (306 berths not plugged in), Q2 and flyer updated. Verdict and confidence unchanged. Maintainer decision (5 Oct 2026): sub-claim A rated Largely supported (was Plausible); its evidence text and the Q1 label updated to match. Verdict now: Misleading, moderate confidence.
  81. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-016 Shore-to-ship: 90% less harbour pollution Corrections: (1) “No source gives the basis of the 90%” / “basis not published” → Infrastructure Malta’s 2020 and 2022 pages give it, scoped to the pollution ships produce, with per-liner cuts (NO2 −93%, PM −92.6%, SO2 −99.6%, CO2 −39.6%) [10, 11]; the 2023 page dropped the scope (Section 1). (2) Section 3: the 90% inferred from hotelling’s share of CO2 [7] → Infrastructure Malta’s own per-pollutant figures, research kept as context. (3) Sub-claim D “Consistent” → “Figures vary”: EUR 33m (2024 launch), 37m (phase 1) and 49.9m (whole project); the TL;DR no longer attributes EUR 33m to the project page, which gives no cost. (4) TL;DR point 4 “extra calls roughly cancel the emissions saved” → states that calls are calendar years, uptake July–July and shore power was available from July 2024. (5) 2019 calls: also given by Infrastructure Malta citing the NSO. ‘What would move it down’: removed the clause saying no scoped wording was found. Verdict and confidence unchanged.
  82. 5 October 2026 Version 1.2 CC-014 Fewer enforcement notices, fewer illegalities Upgrade: Planning Authority annual reports 2017–2023 read as Issuu page images and used as the primary series in place of news reports [10–16]; each value recorded with printed page, image URL and SHA-256. (1) Added 2017 (315 notices; about 3,000 complaints) and 2018 (219; 2,560); gap 2008 and 2012–2018 → 2008 and 2012–2016. (2) 2019 notices 228 (derived) → 229 [12, p. 18]; 2023 complaints 2,456 → 2,463 (2,456 is complaints closed) [16, p. 23]; 2020–2023 notices (169, 164, 180, 233) and 2020 complaints (3,313) confirmed; 2021 (3,192) and 2022 (2,804) complaints added. (3) Notices per 100 complaints 29–42 (2005–11) and 5–10 (2019–24) → 29–41 (rounding) and 5–10 (2017–24). (4) New: confirmed cases 2018–2024 with outcomes (Figure 2): ~1,280 in 2018 against ~1,200–1,250 in 2024, so the −31% to −34% since 2020 is now described as from a 2020–21 peak (−31% to −36%); 7–13 notices per 100 confirmed cases. New Figure 3 (notices per 100 complaints); Figure 1 redrawn; the 2024-only outcome chart is now part of Figure 2. (5) Added the Authority’s stated policy (notices “only where contraveners are uncooperative”, 2018 p. 20, 2019 p. 18) and a deterrence note (daily fines since 2012 [16, p. 24]; on 50% → 78% of notices, 2018 → 2023). (6) Sub-claim D now uses primary backlog and direct-action figures (73 → about 75 years); E partly tested (27–135 a year, 2017–2020). (7) The “139 more complaints in 2020” is in the Authority’s own 2020 report, not only in the news report. MaltaToday (2021, 2024) references replaced by the primary reports; references renumbered. Verdict and confidence unchanged. Verdict now: Misleading, moderate confidence.
  83. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-014 Fewer enforcement notices, fewer illegalities Corrections: (1) 2020 complaints were called “the highest in the series”; now “the highest we could read after FY 2004/05 (3,705)”. (2) “More than three times as many” cases ending in a sanctioning application or removal as in a notice → “about six times” ((521 + 482) / 162 = 6.2). (3) 2019 complaints 3,174 (derived from a news report) → 3,134 (PA Annual Report 2019, p. 17; Figure 1 redrawn) [17]. (4) 2024 confirmed cases ~1,200 → ~1,200–1,250 and the 2020–24 change −34% → −31% to −34%, because the four outcome categories sum to 1,252, more than the “circa half” (1,206) reported. Flyer: “Settled by legalising” → “Applications to legalise” (applications, not permits). Verdict and confidence unchanged.
  84. 5 October 2026 Version 1.2 CC-013 Permits keep property prices in check Upgrade: (1) New Figure 3 and subsection comparing all 27 Member States (Eurostat demo_gind, tipsho10): Malta’s population growth 2015–2025 is the highest (+30.9%; Luxembourg +21.1%), its real house-price rise (+34.2%, provisional) ranks 16th of 27, below the median state (+41.2%); Germany, France and Italy carry 49% of the EU-27 index weight. (2) Rents added (HICP actual rentals): +53.1% vs EU +20.5%, 8th of 27. (3) “Population growth fifteen times the EU’s” → “about 16 times” (30.87% / 1.90% = 16.3). (4) Latest quarter added: house prices +6.9% a year to 2026-Q2 (EU +4.7%; provisional). (5) TL;DR, key points, tiles, table, Q1, Q2, sub-claim C text, Why, Limitations and flyer updated. Verdict and confidence unchanged. Maintainer decision (5 Oct 2026): a right of reply is sought only where a check finds a claim Not substantiated, Misleading or Contradicted, so this check needs none; cover, page footer and flyer now say “no right of reply needed”. Verdict now: Largely supported, moderate confidence.
  85. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-013 Permits keep property prices in check Corrections. (1) Housing-cost overburden: Eurostat flags a break in Malta’s series in 2023, so “1.1% (2015) → 6.0% (2025)” and “more than fivefold” → like-for-like runs “1.1% → 2.9% (2015–2022)” and “6.0% → 5.9% → 6.0% (2023–2025)” (TL;DR, tiles, Figure 2 caption, Section 4 table, Q2, Section 7, Limitations, flyer). (2) Real house prices 2015–2025 (+34% Malta, +25% EU) now written to checks.csv by calc.py, which previously held only 2015–2024 (+26%, +21%); Malta’s 2025 value marked provisional (TL;DR, tiles, Figure 1 caption, table “+34%” → “+34% (p)”); table note now states each price row’s basis and period (real, HICP-deflated, to 2025; nominal to 2024). (3) data/cc-013/eurostat_housing.csv: the second sts_cobp_a series each year relabelled as m² of useful floor area (it had the dwellings label); Eurostat flags recorded. (4) Q1: “the most plausible reason … the research supports this” → stated as our inference, not tested for Malta. Verdict and confidence unchanged.
  86. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-012 Ta' Qali gravel and grass Corrections: (1) Sentinel-2 values recomputed with the reflectance offset (BOA_ADD_OFFSET −1000, processing baseline 04.00 and later) that 1.0 omitted, which had pulled NDVI towards zero. Zone winter NDVI before the gravel 0.37 / 0.47 / 0.38 → 0.53 / 0.67 / 0.57; rest of the park 0.39–0.40 → 0.65–0.68; winter 2025–26 zone 0.11 → 0.15, park 0.38 → 0.68; pre-gravel summers about 0.11 → about 0.15; winter ratio zone/park 0.99 → 0.88 before and 0.30 → 0.23 after (data/cc-012/checks.csv); zone brightness now in reflectance, May → Aug 2025 0.19 → 0.32 (1.0 gave raw values 2881 → 4191). Figures 1 and 2 redrawn; Figure 1 was washed out. Zone (2.8 ha) and scene set (199) unchanged. (2) “Two normal winters” corrected to three (2023, 2024, 2025); “level with the rest of the park” changed to “close to”. (3) Removed the unsourced statement that Summer Daze took place in August 2026. (4) “What would move it down” rewritten: Contradicted is already the lowest rating. (5) Flyer: the 2.8 ha zone was called the “same area” as Momentum’s 2.2 ha; it is about a quarter larger. (6) Layout: removed a near-empty page. Verdict and confidence unchanged. Verdict now: Contradicted, high confidence.
  87. 5 October 2026 Version 1.3 CC-011 Ten minutes' walk to green space Maintainer decision (5 Oct 2026): pledges get one of six pledge labels instead of a verdict (methodology, Pledges). This pure pledge check is now labelled “Not measurable” as of 5 October 2026 in place of the verdict “Not substantiated” (moderate); the analysis and numbers are unchanged. Appendix A lists the pledge labels.
  88. 5 October 2026 Version 1.2 CC-011 Ten minutes' walk to green space Split at the maintainer’s request: this check now covers Labour’s ten-minute pledge only, under the title “Ten minutes’ walk to green space”. The PN’s net-zero Gozo pledge and its arithmetic are now Claim Check 107. Labour’s analysis and numbers are unchanged; references renumbered. Verdict and confidence unchanged.
  89. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-011 Ten minutes' walk to green space Corrections: the flyer said that, read broadly, the pledge “is met today”; it now says “already almost met”, as the report does (a screening estimate). The unsourced seat count (“36 seats to 29”) is removed; the 30 May 2026 election is now sourced. Verdict and confidence unchanged.
  90. 5 October 2026 Version 1.2 CC-010 Tree-planting counts Upgrade: (1) New Figure 1, trees reported (more than 8,000 in 2024; about 60,000 and more than 57,000 by end-2025) against the five-year window of pledge 305 (75% elapsed by end-2025; the 30 May 2026 election at 84%), with shrubs and vouchers kept out; it replaces the Section 2 tiles. (2) Searched for a count after the 30 May 2026 election (Project Green’s news to 5 October 2026; web searches): none found. (3) New sub-claim table in Section 4 (A–D); TL;DR, a tile, verdict box, cover note, flyer and claim.yml updated. Version and date added to the cover. Cover, page footer and flyer: “pending right of reply” → “right of reply not sought”, matching the text. Maintainer decision (5 Oct 2026): pledge delivery rated separately as Not substantiated; overall verdict unchanged. Verdict now: Largely supported, moderate confidence.
  91. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-010 Tree-planting counts Corrections: the pledge was framed as open until 2027; it now records that the legislature ended with the snap general election of 30 May 2026 [8] and that about 75% of the five-year period had passed by end-2025, against about 60% of the trees reported (the “2027 deadline” tile is replaced). Added Labour's own 2026 manifesto count, more than 57,000 trees for 2022–2025 [9], alongside the Minister's ~60,000. Updated the voucher scheme to 23,000 trees in vouchers issued by 13 May 2026 [10]; vouchers are not trees planted. Cover note shortened to fit; italics fixed. Verdict and confidence unchanged.
  92. 5 October 2026 Version 1.2 CC-009 More RO, less WSC groundwater Upgrade: national abstraction by user and estimated recharge (Eurostat [8]): WSC's 2025 cut is about 4% of national abstraction; new section 3. Peer-reviewed literature verified on Crossref and read [9, 10]; new section 5. Figures 1–3 added (WSC production by source; abstraction and recharge; groundwater-body map). Right-of-reply status corrected to pending (maintainer, 5 Oct 2026). Retitled “More RO, less WSC groundwater” (was “Does more RO mean recovery?”), because no speaker claims aquifer recovery and the verdict rates WSC’s own figures (maintainer, 5 Oct 2026). Verdict and confidence unchanged. Maintainer decision (5 Oct 2026): a right of reply is sought only where a check finds a claim Not substantiated, Misleading or Contradicted, so this check needs none; cover, page footer and flyer now say “no right of reply needed”. Verdict now: Largely supported, moderate confidence.
  93. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-009 More RO, less WSC groundwater Corrections: (1) Groundwater-body status: the table gave the plan's counts alone (quantitative ‘2 poor’, chemical ‘14 poor’). It now shows the plan alongside Malta's 3rd-cycle EU reporting to the EEA (4 poor quantitatively, 15 poor chemically) and states the difference; TL;DR, verdict text and flyer card updated to match. (2) Cover verdict line ‘aquifer status remains a separate question’ and flyer ‘aquifer status remains poor’ → both ‘aquifers last assessed as poor’. (3) ‘Lowest in a decade’ in the TL;DR and section 2 is now attributed to WSC. (4) Reference [6] is now cited in section 2; reference [7] added for the EU reporting. Verdict and confidence unchanged.
  94. 5 October 2026 Version 1.2 CC-008 Flyovers and congestion Upgrade: added EEA hourly NO2 data for Msida and three comparison stations, 2022 to September 2026, with a new section and three figures (monthly series, January–September comparison, map of the monitoring points from ERA's station metadata). New finding: in the nine months after the flyover opened (18 December 2025), NO2 at the Msida monitor was 14.3% higher than a year earlier (unvalidated data), with caveats stated: one site, a new sampling point from January 2024, works continuing until 2027. Added that no EEA-reported monitor has operated near Marsa since 2016. Page footer and cover: “pending right of reply” → “right of reply not sought”, matching the text. Verdict and confidence unchanged. Verdict now: Not substantiated, moderate confidence.
  95. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-008 Flyovers and congestion Corrections: the Msida quotation now matches the wording on Infrastructure Malta's page (checked 5 October 2026); the earlier quotation included words (“this project”, “which will be”) not on the page as checked, and the forecast reading now rests on the statement having been published before works began. Added the Marsa release's wording on “significant air quality improvements in Paola and Marsa”. Heading typo “Mars” corrected to “Marsa”. Verdict and confidence unchanged.
  96. 5 October 2026 Version 1.2 CC-005 “92% excellent” bathing water Upgrade: added the EEA classification of all 87 sites for every season 2015–2025 (map service, checked site by site against the WISE dataset) and the EU-27 coastal share; three figures (Malta against the EU coastal average, a map of the 2025 classes, and the ten sites ever below excellent). New findings stated: the 92% was also the 2024 result, so it was current when published; the share has fallen from 98.9% (2016–2018) to 88.5% (2025), the lowest since 2015 and level with the EU coastal average; the five sites that changed class in 2025 are named. Balluta Bay is now described as sufficient in every season 2022–2025, not as a single local episode. Added SWD(2025) 318, which dates the figure, and Directive 2006/7/EC. Verdict and confidence unchanged. Maintainer decision (5 Oct 2026): a right of reply is sought only where a check finds a claim Not substantiated, Misleading or Contradicted, so this check needs none; cover, page footer and flyer now say “no right of reply needed”. Verdict now: Supported, high confidence.
  97. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-005 “92% excellent” bathing water Corrections: (1) the ‘what would move the verdict’ boxes were reversed. ‘Up’ listed conditions that would lower the verdict, and ‘down’ cited a newer season at 92% or more. Now: up, none (Supported is the top of the scale; naming the 2023 season would remove the date caveat); down, a different 2023 count, a later intended season or an incompatible denominator. (2) Balluta Bay warning start: ‘31 May 2024’ → ‘late May 2024’. Our bibliography gave 21 May, and news reports date the two sites’ warnings ten days apart; the primary report could not be re-opened to settle it. (3) 2023 sample count: ‘—’ → 2,021 (EEA WISE dataset). (4) Page footer: ‘pending right of reply’ → ‘right of reply not sought’, matching the maintainer’s decision. Verdict and confidence unchanged.
  98. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1 CC-004 'Strong progress' in waste separation Upgrade: the Commission’s early-warning report [8] and Malta annex [12] read directly (second-hand marker removed); its 2025 review [6] read in full (postponement renounced; biowaste reported as landfilled). New Figure 3 (EU-27); verified fairness points (+7.6 points, 4th of 20; packaging and deposit scheme); new Q4. Maintainer decision (5 Oct 2026): confidence raised from moderate to high, because three Commission documents and Eurostat now agree. Verdict unchanged. Verdict now: Not substantiated, high confidence.
  99. 5 October 2026 Version 1.2 CC-003 Per-capita emissions vs 2030 projection Upgrade: (1) New Figure 2 ranks all 27 Member States on the per-person and the total cut, 2005–2024 (Eurostat): Malta 3rd (−48.5%) and 20th (−27.4%). (2) New Figure 4 and a subsection on Malta’s yearly effort-sharing limits from the Commission’s Tables 25 and 26: 22, 25 and 30 points over in 2022–2024; cumulative balance 0.0 Mt in 2024, −2.1 Mt projected for 2030. (3) Fairness note: per-person emissions in the target sectors are flat (2.50 t to 2.52 t; our estimate, tested against the Commission’s figures), and no shortfall has been incurred before the first compliance check in 2027. (4) TL;DR, key points, tiles, Sections 3–8, flyer and data updated; old Figure 2 is now Figure 3. Verdict and confidence unchanged. Verdict now: Misleading, high confidence.
  100. 5 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-003 Per-capita emissions vs 2030 projection Corrections. (1) Section 4 table, EU 2030 effort-sharing projection: “−31% / …” → “−31% / −38%” (existing / additional measures, Commission Table 25). (2) EU industrial emissions, 2005–2023: “fell” → “−36%” (Commission p. 44). (3) “Widest margin in the EU” → “widest margin in the EU in percentage points” (TL;DR, Sections 6 and 7, flyer); Section 4 adds that in tonnes Germany’s projected 2030 shortfall (64 Mt) exceeds Malta’s (0.5 Mt). (4) Commission page numbers changed from PDF to printed pages: p. 115 → pp. 114–115 (Figure 2 label → p. 114), p. 126 → 125, p. 45 → 44, p. 52 → 51–52, p. 60 → 59. (5) Flyer title “Emissions down 44%” → “Emissions per person down 44%”; the two “+41%” flyer cards retitled “Population growth since 2005” and “Target-sector emissions, 2024”. (6) data/cc-003/checks.csv now also holds the EU-27 values shown in the Section 4 table. Verdict and confidence unchanged.
  101. 4 October 2026 Version 1.1 CC-051 'Over 30% of our seas protected' Maps of all the waters Malta reports to the EU, the three reference areas and depth bands; areas measured from boundary files; clearer summary. Verdict unchanged. Verdict now: Misleading, moderate confidence.
  102. 4 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-051 'Over 30% of our seas protected' First issue. Right of reply to the Environment Ministry and ERA not yet sent.
  103. 4 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-022 'Lowest electricity burden in the EU' First issue. Right of reply to the Energy Ministry not yet sent.
  104. 4 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-019 830,000 m2 of land lost in five years First issue. Right of reply to Amphora Media not yet sent.
  105. 4 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-018 IMF 'confirms' MDA on housing First issue. Right of reply to the MDA not yet sent.
  106. 4 October 2026 Version 1.2 CC-007 Within EU limits vs WHO guideline Newsbook article read in full (Wayback snapshot): verbatim wording quoted, its figures checked against the annex; confidence raised to high. Verdict now: Largely supported, high confidence.
  107. 3 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-017 Land reclamation outside the Freeport First issue. Right of reply to the Ministry for Finance and the Ministry for the Environment not yet sent.
  108. 3 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-016 Shore-to-ship: 90% less harbour pollution First issue. Right of reply to Infrastructure Malta and Transport Malta not yet sent.
  109. 3 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-014 Fewer enforcement notices, fewer illegalities First issue. Draft pending right of reply from the Planning Authority.
  110. 3 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-013 Permits keep property prices in check First issue. Right of reply to the Planning Authority not yet sent.
  111. 3 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-012 Ta' Qali gravel and grass First issue. Draft pending right of reply.
  112. 3 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-010 Tree-planting counts First issue. Right of reply not sought, at the maintainer's direction.
  113. 3 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-009 More RO, less WSC groundwater First issue.
  114. 3 October 2026 Version 1.1 CC-007 Within EU limits vs WHO guideline Added an independent partial cross-check against EEA validated station data; documented one unresolved Attard 2024 difference.
  115. 3 October 2026 Version 1.1 CC-006 Spring hunting derogation Report and flyer updated to version 1.1. The date of version 1.0 is not recorded in the report. Verdict now: Not substantiated, moderate confidence.
  116. 3 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-002 Comino tree compensation Verdict now: Largely supported, moderate confidence.
  117. 2 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-011 Ten minutes' walk to green space First issue, covering two pledges (Labour’s ten-minute green space and the PN’s net-zero Gozo). Claims restated from the parties’ own texts rather than news summaries. Draft pending right of reply.
  118. 2 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-008 Flyovers and congestion First issue. Right of reply not sought, at the maintainer's direction.
  119. 2 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-007 Within EU limits vs WHO guideline First draft based on Parliamentary Question 29696 and its tabled annex.
  120. 2 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-005 “92% excellent” bathing water First issue. Right of reply not sought, at the maintainer’s direction.
  121. 2 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-004 'Strong progress' in waste separation First issue. Draft pending right of reply from the Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Public Cleanliness and WasteServ.
  122. 2 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-003 Per-capita emissions vs 2030 projection First issue. Draft pending right of reply from the Climate Action Authority and the Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Public Cleanliness.
  123. 2 October 2026 Version 1.1: corrections CC-001 Upper Barrakka concrete Incorporates the full Times of Malta article. Claim restated as conditional on the concrete being temporary. Added a check of Ambjent’s own reasoning, a new contested question on temporary cover, and sub-claims B, C and F. Photo description revised. Added references [17] and [18]. Verdict label unchanged (Not substantiated); the reasoning changed from blanket claim overstated to conditional claim plausible but unevidenced. Verdict now: Not substantiated, moderate confidence.
  124. 2 October 2026 Version 1.0: first issue CC-001 Upper Barrakka concrete First issue. Based on the headline and secondary reporting; the full article was not accessed. Treated the claim as a blanket statement that concrete will not harm trees.