EU stays out of tuna war

The European Commission has no intention of entering the fray between Maltese fishermen and conservationists over bluefin tuna, despite Nationalist MEP Simon Busuttil's urgent request for Brussels to take a stand. The Commission followed the reported incidents on the high seas between tuna ranchers Fish and Fish and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society but felt it had no role to play in the issue, sources have told The Times.

"This is being treated by the Commission as an issue of public order and it's the duty of Maltese authorities or those authorities who have competence in the areas where the incidents allegedly took place to intervene and settle the dispute," an EU official said.

"We are not a policing organisation and we can't enter into this sort of incident where one side alleges to be attacking the other and vice versa.

"As long as no EU rules have been broken, then it is an issue for the competent policing authorities to handle."

Dr Busuttil yesterday filed an urgent parliamentary question on the issue. He said the reported incidents led to injuries and to damage to the tuna operators' property and asked the Commission for its official position on the Sea Shepherd's actions.

"Does the Commission consider its (Sea Shepherd's) actions legal? And what is it doing to avoid further escalation?" Dr Busuttil asked.

The EU has been tightening the grip on bluefin tuna fishing in the Mediterranean as evidence points to a collapse in the fishery in the coming years. Despite the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species' (Cites) having rejected an EU-backed ban on international trade of bluefin tuna, Brussels recently insisted it was still in favour of this ban and would be working to achieve it in the coming years.