I refer to the letter by Wylie Cunningham (April 4) and wish to express my astonishment at the correspondent's arrogance. In the eyes of this foreign correspondent, 400,000 Maltese are in opposition to the EU's 450 million inhabitants. Incredibly the EU manages to enact laws after consulting the majority of them. On the other hand it's taken the EU over five years even to extract a provisional veto concerning spring-hunting in Malta. How tough the hunting lobby has become, though Mr Cunningham thinks it insignificant. It's amazing how an insignificant minority manages to get his goat!

Mr Cunningham disdainfully suggests, if Malta opted out, the other 26 member states would not care. What a U-turn that'd be. In 2002 they cared so much they agreed to 77 special arrangements with Malta, including one on hunting. Mr Cunningham observes Brussels would want its money back if Malta opted out. Yes, the stranglehold of economic retribution on a member state is what holds the EU together according to this reasoning. We wonder how long it will last.

Next the correspondent warns that the EU has even more powerful laws "against inciting racial hatred and distrust".

What counts is not legislation that strangles the truth, but legislation based on the principles of truth and justice. In this connection we consider all those who are not Maltese to be foreigners, and there is no racism in that. Just because Malta is now part of the EU, that does not give the right to Mr Cunningham to call himself Maltese. Mr Cunningham and other foreigners are exactly that: Foreigners, no more, no less.

Finally to round up, over the question of hunting, the EU has been accused of not acting in good faith. The EU specifically went against the spirit of the EU-Malta accession talks when they did not at the time object, as they should have done, to the Malta government's insistence for the retention of spring hunting of two species. If they had acted in good faith in accordance with the spirit of the agreement desired, the present debacle over spring hunting would not have happened. Perhaps Mr Cunningham might like to contact the EU Commissioner he knows to take action on that. Us hunters would welcome that.