Flemish Parliamentary committee slams spring hunting

The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Flemish Parliament has adopted a resolution condemning spring hunting in Malta and calling on the European Commission to intervene decisively and stop the island from continuing with this practice.

The resolution, moved by the mayor of Bilzen, Johan Sauwens, a town in the northern part of Belgium, was supported by all the political groups in the Flemish Parliament and was approved unanimously after a 30-minute debate.

Some deputies sitting on the committee questioned whether the Flemish Parliament should occupy itself with this issue as it was a matter involving a foreign sovereign country. Other MPs argued that Malta is not any more "just another foreign country" as it forms part of the EU and, thus, what happens in the island is also of concern to the Flemish Parliament.

A spokesman for the Flemish Parliament told The Times the resolution will be debated during a plenary session of the Flemish Parliament in a few weeks' time when a vote will also be taken.

The lobby Bird Protection Belgium last October presented to the European Parliament a petition with 190,000 signatures calling for the immediate ban of spring hunting in Malta. The signatories came from all over Europe, including 3,400 from Malta.

The petition is still to be debated by the EP's Petitions Committee.