The European Commission’s decision to open infringement procedures against Malta over regional hunting practices has sparked anger within Europe’s hunting community, the European Federation for Hunting and Conservation claimed on Thursday.
Earlier this month, the European Commission said it had sent the Maltese government a letter of formal notice for “failing to comply with the judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union of 19 September 2024”.
That ECJ ruling had concluded that Malta allowing bird trappers to capture seven species of wild finches was in breach of the EU Birds Directive. The government had applied a derogation to its obligations under that directive, arguing that trappers were capturing the birds for scientific research purposes
Weeks after that judgment, the government introduced a new derogation to the Birds Directive to ensure finch trapping could continue unabated.
The European Commission has now described that derogation as “nearly identical to the derogation” rejected by the ECJ.
On Thursday FACE said this latest action by the commission represented "yet another instance of heavy-handed intervention that disproportionately targets rural communities with no measurable impact on biodiversity".
Regional hunting practices, it said, were deeply rooted in cultural heritage and have been regulated in accordance with the birds' directive. The age-old use of net traps for birds is selective, with only small numbers of birds being caught, and strictly supervised, ensuring they pose no threat to biodiversity.
"An infringement is being opened against Malta for their Finch trapping research project, which was redesigned to comply with a previous court ruling," FACE said, adding that meanwhile France was being referred to the court for its traditional regional hunting of the woodpigeon.
"The European Commission’s latest action is a clear example of regulatory overreach. It represents an extremely strict interpretation of the Birds Directive and fails to acknowledge the cultural value of these practices,” said Laurens Hoedemaker, President of FACE.
“Regional hunting methods are a part of Europe’s rural identity and pose no threat to wildlife populations. We urge the commission to take a more proportionate approach, rather than criminalising local communities that have practised these activities responsibly for generations.”
FACE said this was another move by the commission that eroded European traditions, local knowledge and the fabric of rural communities.
Such initiatives, it added, will alienate those who safeguarded these practices for centuries without solving any nature conservation issues.
It called on the commission to adhere to the principle of proportionality when addressing regional hunting activities. Europe’s hunters and rural communities deserved fair treatment and recognition of their contribution to conservation rather than legal action that disregards local realities, it said.