Malta will be facing fresh EU legal action over the government’s controversial decision to once again allow finch trapping from next month after an absence of five years.
European Commission officials have already prepared the legal background to start a new legal challenge against Malta and the only issue to be decided is whether action will be taken in October or wait until the new Commission takes over in November, Times of Malta is informed.
Infringement procedures by the Commission against member states are decided once a month.
“Ironically, if we wait until November, it will be the turn of the new Maltese Commissioner responsible for the Environment [Karmenu Vella] to take the final decision and start legal procedures against the Maltese government,” the sources said.
Malta has been consistently warned over the years not to allow finch trapping as this goes strictly against the EU’s Birds Directive.
When Malta joined the EU in 2004, it had been given a special concession to continue to allow trapping of certain wild birds, although on a limited scale.
Talks to be held with EU officials
The transition period came to an end in 2008 when finch trapping was outlawed.
However, Malta had tried to use a derogation to enable the further trapping of a few species in 2009, excluding finches.
This drew the attention of the Commission and legal action was started. The Commission’s action pushed the government to re-think its position and to halt trapping to avoid the European court.
However, following Labour’s return to power last year, the government has decided to allow trappers to start catching finches from October.
Despite the Commission’s several warnings, the government, through the approval of the Ornis Committee, insisted on forging ahead with the plan.
Animal Rights Parliamentary Secretary Roderick Galdes had said he had found a crack in the EU’s rules to allow trapping of finches. The issue will be discussed again between European Commission officials and the government during talks to be held in Malta imminently.
Times of Malta is informed that the discussions will wrap up by October 9.
After the abrupt temporary closure of the autumn hunting season following a series of illegalities, the government will re-open the season again on October 10, a day after the Commission officials leave Malta.