French, Italian tourists file petitions against hunting in Malta

French and Italian tourists have felt compelled to add their petitions to that of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (LRBPO) Belgium calling for a ban on spring hunting, after visiting the island and witnessing local hunting first hand.

The European Parliament's Petition Committee will leave Malta today after a mission to assess the local hunting scenario. The visit was triggered by the LRBPO petition, which was signed by almost 200,000 people from across Europe and is endorsed by local NGOs.

The committee was also tasked with assessing how well the EU Birds Directive is being applied to Malta, which was afforded a derogation making it the only EU member state to allow hunting during spring. The derogation is subject to a Commission review every year.

Addressing a press conference yesterday, the committee's head of secretariat, David Lawe, said petitions of the same kind are grouped together, revealing in the process that there are other petitions filed with that of the LRBPO, two of which are from Italian and French tourists.

Asked for his opinion on the situation in Malta, committee chairman Marcin Libicki was non-committal, saying he preferred not to give a final opinion on the matter for the time being.

Nonetheless, when it came to trapping, he likened the practice to the pheasant-fattening tradition in Poland. The practice was common up to eight years ago but it had to be stopped because it was deemed inhumane, he said.

Derogations are there for extraordinary circumstances, he continued, and so is the derogation on trapping. Eventually it will have to end. "But we don't want to disrupt Maltese traditions," he insisted, making the point that there needs to be a transition.

He also mentioned hunting in the context of the fact that Maltese hunters shoot exclusively at migratory birds. "I know this will be hard for you to accept but the birds which fly over Malta are Europe's common heritage and not just yours."

The comment resonates with the spirit of the LRBPO, which attacks Maltese hunting in relation to migratory species.

Asked whether their cover had been blown by the publicity, given that they said they would be making "surprise" visits to hunting hotspots, Mr Lawe said the intention was never to catch hunters red-handed.

The committee spoke to the people involved in the issue on both sides of the fence, Mr Lawe explained, adding that the committee now had an insight into the matter.

Mr Libicki amplified the point, saying he had never seen a trapping device in his whole life, save for once in a painting, pointing out that now he has a cultural understanding of hunting in Malta.

The matter will be brought up during a committee meeting, where a report will be presented.

The team was also here to catch up with other local petitions as well as to promote the EU's petitions process with Maltese citizens.

Among others, the group met with the Qui-Si-Sana Residents Association. "We have some concerns on how the Aarhus Convention is being implemented," Mr Lawe said in this respect.

The issue was also raised in a report prepared recently by Mepa's audit officer who said that enforcement officers were not aware that the Aarhus Convention, which gives citizens greater access to environmental information, had been transposed to Maltese law about a year ago.

Labour Sliema local councillor Martin Debono said the meeting between the MEPs and the association was positive. He said the auditor's report was discussed and that the committee had requested a copy, which will be supplied.