A Maltese farmer is now entering his fifth year of waiting for compensation after a deadly fireworks factory explosion destroyed his livelihood. Eugenio Bugeja's case shows how difficult it can be for property owners to get compensation through Malta's civil courts after industrial accidents.
Why This Matters
• €27,000 claim unresolved: Eugenio Bugeja has received no payment for animals, crops, field damage, and a van destroyed in the November 2022 blast
• Legal costs mounting: The farmer has depleted his life savings pursuing two separate cases through Malta's backlogged court system
• Civil case timeline: Filed in January 2023, the compensation case remains ongoing as of June 2026 with no resolution date
The explosion at the San Ġużepp fireworks factory in Kirkop on November 26, 2022, killed licensee Leonard Camilleri and left Bugeja injured alongside extensive property destruction. Nearly four years later, the farmer's dual-front legal battle reveals systemic friction between victim compensation, regulatory enforcement, and the pace of Malta's judicial machinery.
The Reconstruction Fight
Bugeja's legal strategy has focused heavily on blocking the factory's reconstruction, arguing that portions of the rebuilt structures were never legally authorized. In summer 2023, his request for an emergency injunction failed because the band club operating the factory held existing permits. He then escalated by appealing the Malta Planning Authority's reconstruction decision under Article 80 of the Development Planning Act (which governs appeals against planning decisions), citing fraud, false information, and public safety concerns.
That appeal yielded partial success in July 2024, when the Planning Authority's board modified the permit to cover only structures built with legal authorization. An enforcement case was subsequently opened against the band club for rebuilding illegal components. In January 2026, the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal (EPRT) rejected the band club's attempt to retroactively legalize the unlawful structures—a decision the club has since appealed, with a court ruling expected later that month.
Legal experts note that this protracted planning dispute has effectively postponed any meaningful settlement discussions, as the liability question remains entangled with regulatory enforcement proceedings.
Practical Steps for Property Owners Affected by Industrial Accidents
For farmers and small business owners in Malta who face industrial disasters, the compensation process is notoriously slow. Malta's civil court backlog has grown sharply, with pending cases in lower courts rising from 6,809 in early 2025 to 7,994 by year's end. Compensation lawsuits have been identified as a primary driver of this surge. Complex compensation claims routinely stretch beyond 18–24 months for resolution, and Bugeja's case now exceeds 40 months with no end in sight.
What you should know:
• Liability insurance exists but requires active claims: The minimum liability insurance requirement for fireworks manufacturers stands at €300,000 per incident (introduced in June 2014). Yet accessing those funds requires navigating a civil claim process that, in practice, can outlast the financial runway of many claimants.
• Document everything meticulously: Legal advisers recommend that businesses in proximity to industrial facilities maintain comprehensive property insurance and document all assets with photographs, valuations, and receipts. The burden of proof in civil claims can be extensive.
• Understand your legal rights: The Occupational Health and Safety Authority Act holds employers liable for workplace injuries and mandates a safe system of work, while general tort provisions provide a legal basis for third-party property damage claims. However, proving liability often requires substantial legal support.
Regulatory Reforms Since the Blast
Malta's pyrotechnics sector operates under the Explosives Ordinance (Chapter 33) and its subsidiary regulations, which have been amended three times since the 2022 disaster—via Legal Notice 160 of 2022, Legal Notice 106 of 2024, and Legal Notice 76 of 2025. The framework mandates that all manufacturers hold a License A issued by the Commissioner of Police, valid for a maximum of five years and subject to comprehensive safety courses and Explosives Committee interviews.
Chemical purity standards have been tightened: mixtures combining potassium chlorate and metals are now explicitly banned, and the permitted storage quantity of potassium chlorate per factory has been reduced. Suppliers must provide written declarations affirming material purity, and only license holders can purchase oxidizers like potassium nitrate, subject to specific quotas. All pyrotechnic chemicals must be sourced from certified importers, as domestic production is prohibited.
A July 2024 amendment (Legal Notice 151) has sparked controversy by permitting fireworks ignition within 20 meters of protected trees if "adequate measures" are in place. Critics point out that these measures remain undefined, creating enforcement loopholes. Factory inspections occur annually, but the frequency and depth of these reviews lack public transparency—a concern amplified by the June 2026 explosion at the Ta' Lourdes Fireworks Factory in Naxxar and a separate dairy farm explosion in Salina, both of which caused severe damage.
The Compensation Deadlock
Bugeja's civil case, filed in January 2023, alleges a breach of his fundamental right to a safe environment, targeting both authorities and the factory licensee for allegedly failing to protect him and the public. The case remains active, with no trial date set as of June 2026.
These recurring fireworks factory incidents have intensified calls for a dedicated pyrotechnics regulator and more frequent factory inspections, though Members of the European Parliament from Malta have consistently resisted EU-level intervention, insisting fireworks oversight remains a national competence.
The International Monetary Fund noted "substantial improvement" in Malta's judicial efficiency in early 2026, citing reduced resolution times for civil and commercial cases by 2024. Reforms driving this progress include an increase in judiciary members and court staff, improved salaries and working conditions, digitalization initiatives, expanded facilities, and revised appointment processes. The re-establishment of a dedicated Commercial Court on March 17, 2026, is expected to ease pressure on general civil dockets, though its impact on compensation cases involving industrial accidents remains to be seen.
Broader Implications
The Bugeja case highlights a systemic challenge for small-scale operators facing industrial disaster fallout: while Malta's regulatory framework has been strengthened on paper, the practical pathway to compensation involves navigating dual legal tracks—one for regulatory enforcement, another for damages—with timelines that can exhaust claimants financially and emotionally long before resolution.
As Malta's judicial reforms continue, the key question for affected farmers and business owners is whether improvements in case processing speed will translate to faster compensation payouts—or whether structural delays in regulatory enforcement will continue to postpone settlements. Bugeja's ongoing battle, now spanning nearly four years, suggests the latter remains a significant risk for victims of industrial accidents across the island.
