A crucial government report giving details of last April's controversial six-day spring hunting season reached Brussels almost two weeks after the European Commission deadline.
The report details the number of turtle doves and quails hunted during the short season and the enforcement measures taken by Malta after Brussels imposed a number of conditions to enable a 'limited' spring hunting season to open for the first time in three years.
A government spokesman told The Sunday Times the report was sent to Brussels recently, though he admitted it was "slightly" late.
The European Commission had instructed the government to send the report within four weeks of the end of the hunting season, which took place from April 24 to 30.
Although the report was sent late, Brussels is not expected to "make an issue out of it as Malta still sent the details within reasonable time", a Commission source said.
"The real analysis will start now. We will study the details together with the government's proposal to have a permanent three-week season from 2011. However, we have already indicated to the Maltese authorities that a three-week season is quite difficult to accept, although we are not ruling out anything at this stage," he said.
The Commission had already refused to allow a three-week hunting period this year as originally recommended by the Maltese Ornis Committee.
The hunting lobby is insisting a three-week hunting season with a national bag of 25,000 birds is the minimum period it will accept.
However, the Commission turned down the government's proposals and indicated that a three-week season could once again land Malta in front of the European Court of Justice with the possibility of heavy fines.
Due to Brussels' resistance, the government opted to open the hunting season last April for one week - a decision which infuriated both hunters and environmentalists.
In a letter sent to the government just before this year's spring hunting season, the Commission said "the initial analyses by the Commission (of legal notice 221 of 2010) revealed concerns regarding its compliance with the provisions of judgment of the Court of Justice. Therefore, following in-depth evaluation, the possibility of launching legal action under Article 260 of the Treaty cannot be excluded".
Legal Notice 221, also known as framework legislation, allows for a three-week hunting season on a regular basis. However, this possibility is "quite far away", according to Commission sources.