Lawrence Gonzi and Alfred Sant, speaking at about the same time in different locations said today they will respect the decision of the European Court of Justice on Spring hunting.

The two leaders were asked about spring hunting during press conferences held at the former Maghtab dump and at Floriana respectively.

Dr Gonzi said the government had allowed spring hunting in the past four years and stood by what was agreed in the EU accession talks, but would abide by any interpretation or decision taken by the court.

Dr Sant said that now that Malta was in the EU, the court's decision had to be respected.

The European Commission is insisting that a ruling given by the court in 2005 against Finland also applied to Malta and is insisting that Malta should therefore stop spring hunting. It referred the matter to the European court last week.