Hunters should be able to enjoy the same rights as their European counterparts, Labour leader Joseph Muscat said yesterday.

This was the principle that guided his party’s actions, he told journalists when asked about the matter during a press conference at The Palace courtyard in Valletta.

Dr Muscat said a Labour government had no interest to renegotiate what was agreed with the EU in 2004 but would implement the decision taken by the European Court of Justice.

In 2009, the court had condemned Malta for allowing a spring hunting season between 2004 and 2008 but left a window of opportunity for the country to have a limited and controlled spring hunting season for quails and turtle doves.

Without elaborating, Dr Muscat said a Labour government will work within the legal parameters but ensure hunters were not treated in an inferior way to their European counterparts.

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