Malta's tuna industry lost a crucial ally in its fight to keep the lucrative fishery because Italy, so far one of six member states blocking an EU ban on international trade in this species, changed its position.
Italian government officials confirmed that Rome decided to adopt a different stand and that this would be communicated to the EU soon. No specific reason was given for this so far.
The northern neighbour now joins a bloc of member states that would like bluefin tuna to be included in the UN's Convention of endangered species, known as CITES.
Italy's move followed a decision last November by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) to cut national catch quotas.
It also comes as the Environment Committee of the European Parliament yesterday called for the European Commission and EU member states to support the inclusion of the species on the endangered list.
The EU is now expected to adopt a formal position before the CITES meeting on March 13-25.
The European Commission's recommendation to the Council of Ministers to impose the ban has so far been blocked due to a spat between Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas, who backs the move, and Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg, who prefers a more lenient approach.
That situation may change when a new Commission takes over in two weeks' time.
Contacted by The Times, Malta's only MEP in the EP's Environment Committee, Labour's Edward Scicluna, said he did not attend the meeting when the vote was taken because he was participating in a session of the Economics Committee where a report on the annual report of the European Central Bank was being discussed.
He echoed Malta's position against a total ban of bluefin tuna.
"I am all for any control on the tuna catches, so long as these truly respect the scientifically-proven sustainability of the species and the controls are applied world-wide. However, I am against partial controls on trading as opposed to catches, through the CITES mechanism, which penalises small countries like Malta and would leave the big fishing countries to get off Scott free."
Malta, Cyprus, France, Spain and Greece are now the only EU member states opposing the call for a ban on international trade in bluefin tuna.