Ten of the largest international environmental organisations are urging MEPs to grill Malta’s Commissioner-designate Karmenu Vella on illegal hunting as the slaughter of protected birds made headlines yesterday.
In a brief directed at the European Parliament, the NGOs said it was “troubling” that the environment portfolio had been assigned to a commissioner whose government was under intense international criticism for failing to implement the EU bird conservation legislation.
“MEPs have repeatedly criticised Malta for the large scale killing of migratory birds in contradiction to EU law. Now a member of the Maltese government condemned for breaking this law is charged with amending it,” the Green 10 said.
The coalition consists of Friends of the Earth, World Wildlife Fund, Greenpeace, European Environmental Bureau, Climate Action Network, Birdlife International, CEE Bankwatch Network, Health and Environment Alliance, Transport and Environment, and Friends of Nature.
They are concerned that Mr Vella’s mandate is entirely centred on deregulation. Mr Vella, who is expected to be grilled on September 29, is asked to overhaul and consider merging and “modernising” the Birds and Habitats Directives.
“These are well known code-words used by those seeking to lower the level of nature protection in the EU. This is outrageous,” the NGOs said.
They urged MEPs to ensure the environment portfolio was reinstated, since it would be the first time in 25 years that there would be no fully empowered Environment Commissioner. This policy area would be shared with other demanding dossiers – fisheries and maritime affairs.
“The EP must react forcefully to prevent an agenda which seems to erase 30 years of EU environment policy without democratic debate,” the Green 10 said.
They said the choice of commissioners revealed a serious downgrading of environment affairs and a roll back of existing EU commitments to sustainable development, resource efficiency, air quality, biodiversity protection and climate action.
“This would represent a betrayal of the interests of EU citizens,” the group said, referring to a Eurobarometer survey last September showing that despite the economic crisis, 95 per cent of the 28,000 interviewed said the environment was important to them personally and that more should be done.
“It shows a solid majority of citizens support EU environmental legislation and asks for more forceful implementation. It shows no public demand for environmental deregulation,” the green groups said.