EU Commission urged to proceed against Malta

Members of the European Parliament yesterday urged the European Commission to step up its pressure on Malta to observe the Birds Directive and to initiate legal action in order to make sure that "the massacre of European birds by Maltese hunters stops".

The MEPs, who are supporting a petition calling for a total ban on spring hunting in Malta, accuse the island of breaching EU hunting regulations.

The petition was presented to the European Parliament's petitions and environment committees. In a nutshell, it calls on the European Commission to stop spring hunting in Malta.

Addressing a press conference called by six MEPs following the presentation of the petition, Lolita Szabo, the petition coordinator, said Malta is not observing its obligations connected to its unilateral derogation under article nine of the Birds Directive and is thus breaching EU law.

Contacted by The Times following the press conference, Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino firmly dismissed the claim that Malta is in breach of EU laws. He said Malta is following what was agreed to with the EU during accession negotiations. The EU had recognised that Malta could apply a derogation in terms of article nine of the Birds Directive.

The petition, coordinated by Bird Protection Belgium and 15 European partner organisations, was signed by 190,000 European citizens including 3,400 Maltese and was presented to Martin Lbicki, president of the committee of petitions, and to Karl-Heinz Florenz, president of the environment committee.

It urges MEPs to push the European authorities and the Maltese government to impose a ban on spring hunting with immediate effect and on trapping by 2008, when the country's transitional period expires.

The petition claims that, despite Malta's unique situation and its responsibility for hundreds of protected species, large scale unpunished illegal hunting continues unabated.

It also claims that the government's efforts to properly enforce the EU acquis remain insufficient. Yet, it adds, Malta keeps insisting to apply a derogation under article nine of the EU Birds Directive in order to allow hunting in spring of turtle doves and quails.

According to the petition, hunting during pre-nuptial migration is strictly forbidden by the EU Birds Directive and the derogation is only permissible if there is no other satisfactory solution in hunting the concerned species. Turtle doves and quails are already being hunted in autumn.

During the press conference, the chairman of the environment committee said that his committee will be following the issue in order to clarify whether Malta can continue to permit hunting in spring. He said the issue will be put on the agenda of his committee and Environment Commissioner Starros Dimas will be invited to answer questions about the Maltese situation.

He said the Commission is the guarantor of the treaty and should therefore make sure that Malta adheres to the Birds Directive.

The press conference was also addressed by British MEPs John Bowis and Caroline Jackson from the European People's Party group, Marie Anne Islerbeguin, Bart Staes and Margarate Auken, MEPs from the Green group, Jonas Sjostedt from the Liberals and Dorette Corbey, Robert Evans and Paolo Casaca from the Socialist Group.

They all repeated their call for an immediate stop of spring hunting in Malta and said the European Parliament must keep a close watch over the EU Birds Directive to ensure it is enforced in all the 25 member states of the EU and that no unjustified derogation under this directive is allowed.

The press conference was also addressed by the secretary general of the European Greens, Arnold Cassola, who said that the Maltese government should stop giving the impression that the EU gave a derogation to Malta on spring hunting. He said this was not true as confirmed by Commissioner Dimas himself.