Saviour Balzan has denied claims he had negotiated a spring hunting season with the EU.

Standing below a Yes to spring hunting billboard in St Andrew’s featuring his face, two €100 notes and the words ‘Yes – in favour of the derogation Saviour negotiated’, Mr Balzan, who is campaigning for a No vote, insisted that was wrong.

“The Yes campaign is saying spring hunting is approved by the EU and that I negotiated this derogation. These are both outright lies. This billboard is a lie,” he said.

Mr Balzan said he had sought legal advice but he would not take any action about the slogan.

I was a backroom boy

Saying this was another attempt by the hunters to deceive the public, he said that, in 2003, before Malta joined the EU, he was employed by the Environment Ministry and given a salary of €13,900.

“My job was that of a technical expert, to collect information and data and pass it on to the EU”.

Mr Balzan insisted he was never involved in any negotiations with the EU: “I was a backroom boy”.

He also pointed out that Malta had never negotiated a right to derogate on spring hunting. The law gave every member state the possibility to derogate but each derogation was subject to intense scrutiny.

The attack on Moira Delia at Ramla Bay.The attack on Moira Delia at Ramla Bay.

When Malta had resorted to the derogation for spring hunting, the case was taken to the European Court of Justice in 2009 and Malta was found guilty of breaking the law. Mr Balzan accused the Yes campaign of making personal attacks and resorting to dirty tricks.

“It is clear they have no real argument and their only case is that they want to keep killing birds in spring. They can’t say that, so they stoop to throwing mud at others.”

‘Yes to hunting – f*** Moira Delia’ were sprayed on a wall in Ramla Bay yesterday.

Spring hunting out campaigner, Moira Delia said she was worried but what happened would not stop her from expressing herself about what she truly believed in, without hurting anyone.

This was the latest in a number of personal attacks with the aim of intimidation, she said.

“It’s useless to attack and throw mud on individual campaign leaders. This is not a political election but a referendum and people should vote according to the substance of the referendum question and not out of respect or obedience towards some campaign or, indeed, a political leader,” she said.

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