Pullicino to meet Dimas over spring hunting

Spring hunting is expected to dominate a meeting in Brussels today between Environment Minister George Pullicino and European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas.

The urgent meeting was organised at the eleventh hour following a visit to Malta by a Commission delegation last week and comments by Mr Dimas that Malta should ban hunting in spring.

Contacted by The Times, Mr Pullicino confirmed his meeting with the Greek Commissioner, however he did give any details.

"I am not going to make public what we are going to discuss. The reason is that we need to leave some leeway for our discussions and not make our positions known to the other side before we even meet," he said.

The European Commission has adopted the same approach with a commission spokesman merely confirming that the meeting will be held. Brussels sources told The Times, however, that the main item on the agenda will be spring hunting.

"Malta and the Commission will try to further clarify the issue as they are on two different wavelengths.

"The Commission is insisting that spring hunting is not justified because autumn offers an alternative while the Maltese government is claiming the contrary," the sources said.

Two weeks ago, the EU executive decided to step up its legal action against the island on spring hunting and gave Malta one month to reply to its claim that it is breaching the EU Birds Directive. Malta must reply by April 21.

The Commission will then decide to issue a reasoned opinion, the second stage of its legal process, or else drop the case. If, on the other hand, the government does not change its position, the matter is likely to end up at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.