Brussels issues new warning to Malta over spring hunting season

Malta is egding closer to a new EU court action over its continued opening of the hunting season in spring, because it is failing to apply strict conditions for legal hunting or to protect wild birds.

The European Commission has sent Malta an additional letter of formal notice to correctly apply the Birds Directive on its continued insistence to open the hunting to season in spring.

The EU rules in question require a general system of protection for wild birds and allows derogations only subject to strict conditions.

The European Commission has already referred Malta to the European Court of Justice in January 2023 for authorising the trapping of finches in yet another case concerning the issue.

Malta has authorised derogations for the hunting of quail since 2011, and the live-capturing of golden plover and song thrush since 2012, but has also failed to establish a general system of protection of wild birds against illegal killing and capturing. A letter of formal notice was sent on 3 December 2020.

Yet on 8 April 2022, Malta extended the spring hunting derogation to cover the turtle dove. “This derogation fails to comply with the conditions laid down in the Birds Directive, and goes against the ongoing conservation efforts of the Member States and the Commission,” the European Commission said.

Brussels is now sending an additional letter of formal notice to Malta, which has two months to respond and address the shortcomings raised. In the absence of a satisfactory response, the Commission may decide to issue a reasoned opinion, the second step before Malta is hauled into the EU Court.

Hunting in the EU is allowed in autumn and banned in spring although exceptions can be allowed. Malta has been adopting a derogation for spring hunting on quail and turtle dove after a European Court ruling allowed a window of opportunity given Malta’s specific situation.

The turtle dove was declared a vulnerable species by the IUCN, an international body, in 2015. Two years later, Malta introduced a moratorium on the spring hunting of turtle dove after the European Commission threatened action.