Spring hunting | Commission to analyse ‘detailed derogation report’ to be submitted by government

The European Commission will be "carefully analysing" a detailed derogation report to be submitted by the government, together with other reports that may be submitted by relevant stakeholders - namely BirdLife Malta and FKNK - to see whether the spring hunting derogation was applied in line with the EU Birds Directive.

"If this is not the case, the Commission may have to continue the enforcement action," Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik said.

The Commissioner was replying to a question raised Italian MEP Andrea Zanoni. The Liberal MEP  has repeatedly called on the Commission to stop derogation from Birds Directive and take Malta to the European Court of Justice.

Zanoni has dubbed Malta "an island for cowboy-hunters". In a parliamentary question to the Commission he tabled in April, Zanoni asked the Commission to intervene urgently "so that extraordinary action is taken in response to the new infringement through the launch of a special suspension procedure via the European Court of Justice".

Zanoni also asked the Commission to launch the procedure by which the ECoJ may rule that "Malta has failed to takes the measures" required in order to comply with court's judgement. He also requested that the Courts "sets the amount of a lump sum or penalty payment that is appropriate in the circumstances".

But in his reply, the Commissioner said the judgement handed down by the ECoJ had left open the possibility of a limited spring hunting derogation of turtle dove and quail under strictly supervised condition in view of the specific circumstances prevalent in Malta.

"The measures related to a limited spring hunting season are provided for in the relevant national regulations which appear to take properly into consideration the principle of proportionality invoked by the court," Potočnik said.

The Commissioner informed the Italian MEP the Commission had been informed by the Maltese government that the conditions for applying a spring hunting derogation in April 2013 were met.