It was not true that an agreement on spring hunting had been reached with the European Commission, BirdLife and Alternattiva Demokratika said this morning.
BirdLife said that following the Prime Minister’s claims that Malta and the EC had reached an agreement on the issue, Joe Hennon, spokesman for Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik confired in a letter to BirdLife Malta executive director Paul Debono that:
“The fact that the Commission welcomes the above-mentioned legislative amendments does not mean that the Commission has come to any 'agreement' or that it has reached any 'deal' with the Maltese government over the application of any particular spring hunting derogation in the future.”
BirdLife reiterated that the onus of responsibility for opening a spring hunting season this year and beyond lay solely with the Maltese government, and should the Commission consider taking further legal action, Malta could again end up at the European Court of Justice, facing fines at the expense of the Maltese tax payer.
In his letter Mr Hennon stated that the Commission would use all the necessary means available to it to ensure that the ECJ ruling and the Birds Directive were respected, including the possibility of taking legal action.
In a separate statement, AD said that following the Prime Minister’s statement that an agreement had been reached, it sought clarifications from the EC as to what had actually transpired.
AD spokesman for sustainable development Carmel Cacopardo also contacted Mr Hennon who told him that the discussions with the Maltese government did not signify that an agreement has been reached.
He informed AD that “the fact that the Commission welcomes the above-mentioned legislative amendments does not mean that the Commission has come to any agreement or that it has reached any deal with the Maltese government over the application of any particular spring hunting derogation in the future.”
AD said that the Prime Minister’s statement in Parliament was misleading and only intended to appease the hunting lobby on electoral promises that could not be achieved.
It said it was disappointed with the Commission’s welcoming of the government legislative action and was still of the opinion that spring hunting was incompatible with the Birds Directive.
However, it was clear that the Commission’s insistence on the need to observe the strict criteria laid down in the directive was indicative of the fact that, rather than agreeing with the government, it had adopted a wait and see attitude.
“It is awaiting the development of events before deciding on what further action to take,” Mr Cacopardo said, adding that the Prime Minister should accept this fact and declare once and for all that the PN made electoral promises it could not achieve.
A legal notice opening an 18-day spring hunting season this year was issued yesterday, setting a bag limit of 9,000 turtle doves and 2,500 quails.
See government's reply:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110402/local/hunting-agreement-reached-on-framework-legislation-government