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 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.

“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 against the EU’s Birds Directive.   

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