Hunting: Agreement reached on framework legislation - government

The government this afternoon insisted that an agreement had been reached with the European Commision on framework legislation which would regulate a spring hunting derogation.

In a reply to statements issued this morning by BirdLife and Alternattiva Demokratika, which denied that an agreement had been reached quoting the spoksman of the EU’s Environment Commissioner, the government said that even the spokesman had told the organisation that the Commission welcomed the legislative amendments.

The spokesman had been referring to the amendments for framework legislation for the application of a spring hunting derogation, it said.

The government said the Prime Minister never claimed that an agreement had been reached on a particular derogation, but said that the details would vary according to the conditions each year.

It said it had already stated, in a previous reply to BirdLife, that the agreement was on framework legislation for the application of the derogation in view of the decision by the European Court of Justice.

The government encouraged BirdLife and AD to accept the fact that the ECJ judgement permitted spring hunting in Malta and that the government and the commission had agreed on the framework legislation which had to regulate the relevant derogation.

See BirdLife and AD statement:

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110402/local/no-deal-reached-with-european-commission-on-spring-hunting-birdlife-ad