Following a legal notice published by the Malta Government last April providing for the possibility of a three week spring hunting season in which 25,000 turtle doves and quails could be shot, the European Commission is considering legal action against Malta.
Sources close to the Commission in Brussels report that the talks between the Commission and the Malta government do not seem to be going Malta’s way.
An EU Commission technical team is currently examining the data submitted by the Malta Government after the closure of the week-long hunting season allowed earlier this year. Apart from the official reports, the Commission’s team is also going through reports sent by Non Government Organisations.
It seems that the Commission has no problem with the week-long restricted hunting season permitted in 2010, but they have serious reservations about the framework legislation unveiled last April proposing the future shooting of 25,000 birds over three weeks. According to a Commission spokesman the technical team thinks that this does not respect the European Court’s judgment. The same source added that now the ball is in their court and a decision will be announced shortly.
After two years during which the Malta government suspended the spring hunting season while the European Court of Justice considered its ruling on spring hunting, last April the government decided to allow a restricted spring season of just a week during which a total of 7,500 turtle doves and quails could be hunted.
The European Court had ruled against Malta but conceded that the autumn season, in principle, did not really offer an alternative to spring, which the government interpreted as an opportunity to explore a “very limited hunting, under strict controls”. After the Court ruling, a hunting season was announced for the period between April 24 and 30, excluding Sunday, in which a maximum of 2,500 hunters (who had to apply for special licences) could shoot a total of 3,900 quails and 3,600 turtle doves.
Hunters criticised this season and claimed discrimination against the rest of the 10,000 registered hunters, but the government insisted it had reached an arrangement on this restricted season for 2010 while talks were underway for a three-week period during which 25,000 birds could be shot in the years to come.
In the meantime, a legal notice was issued in April providing a legal framework for future seasons in line with the details mentioned above, while talks continued.
The Commission’s problem is with the numbers that can be killed under this legislation. It thinks that a figure of 25,000 is too many and may not respect the criteria set down in the court decision against Malta.
Max Farrugia , Chairman of International Animal Rescue in Malta said that one of the reasons why the Government restricted the season for just one week might be to minimise as much as possible the illegal hunting of protected species. He insisted that the EU Commission knows from the reports it receives that the illegal hunting of protected species is rampant during an open season but it is completely ignoring this issue.