“The fact that the Maltese government allows these birds to be killed during their journey to the breeding grounds is deeply shocking – particularly as this decision [spring hunting] ignores the law and all scientific evidence and instead seems heavily influenced by upcoming elections”.
In a statement by Birdlife International, Konstantin Kreiser, the association’s EU policy manager, insisted that the Maltese government’s decision to violate EU’s Birds Directive and allow spring hunting “is not an issue just for Malta – it affects all European nations”. The statement was made on Tuesday 10 April, the first day of the 2007 spring hunting season in Malta.
Photos of killed "endangered birds"
This year, government is allowing hunting for turtle doves and quail between 10 April and 20 May, “despite ongoing legal and political action taken by the European Commission… with a European Court case [against Malta] expected to start later this year” Birdlife International said.
In a separate statement, the Maltese government warned hunters to "abide to hunting regulations", insisting that "abusive hunters are the worse enemies of other hunters who respect the law, and will be endangering the future of hunting in Malta".
But the Birdlife International statement, issued in all European countries, also showed upsetting images of two "protected species" that were illegally shot in Malta before the “legal” spring hunting period began on Tuesday.
“Only last week a Pallid Harrier and a Purple Heron were found shot. With the European population of Pallid Harriers down to only a handful of birds, the actions of a single Maltese hunter could impact dramatically on the future of this species. This scenario is repeated for a wide range of threatened birds that are shot illegally on a regular basis here in Malta” said Joseph Mangion, the President of Birdlife Malta.
Legal action against Malta
The international association, which includes over 42 separate national environmental organisations, called on Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi to end spring hunting immediately, and clamp down illegal hunting.
Birdlife International is uniting all its partner organisations in various countries “in protest against the Maltese government”. The association is insisting that “spring hunting is prohibited by the EU Birds Directive in order to protect wild birds during their migration from Africa to breeding grounds in Europe”.
The European Commission launched legal action against Malta for allowing spring hunting in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. Last month, the European Environment Commissioner, Stavros Dimas, insisted that during the pre-accession negotiations, Malta and the EU reached no agreement to allow spring hunting in Malta. In the same month, the European Parliament passed a resolution against spring hunting in Malta, while the European Commission intensified its legal action against Malta.
Government had promised spring hunting
Yet, the Maltese government is insisting it is ready to go to European Courts since it is claiming that it is permitting spring hunting in accordance to “the spirit of the accession negotiations”, The Times reported on Tuesday morning. The government has defended its decision by claiming that it is acting in line with Article 9 of the Birds Directive, which permits a derogation for spring hunting.
In 2003, prior to Malta’s accession to the EU, the same government had promised Maltese hunters and trappers that spring hunting will be guaranteed even when Malta joins the EU.
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