Update 3 | Spring hunting referendum campaign gathers around 10,000 signatures

The Coalition for the Abolition of Spring Hunting is calling on Minister for the Environment, Leo Brincat, to accept that Malta should follow EU rules and abolish spring hunting in a keynote speech to delegates from all over the European Union at a conference about the implementation and enforcement of environmental legislation (IMPEL). In his speech, Brincat failed to mention hunting, opting instead to emphasise the government's decision to split MEPA's environmental and planning authorities.

In a demonstration held this morning outside the entrance to the hotel where the IMPEL conference is being held, coalition representatives displayed banners and placards voicing their objection to Malta's continued flouting of EU conservation directives by opening a spring hunting season.

Coalition spokesperson Chris Debono said: "It is deeply ironic that Malta is hosting a conference about the enforcement of environmental legislation when it is now the only country in the European Union that allows a spring hunting season for turtle dove and quail in direct contravention of EU rules. We are determined that delegates to this conference know about this double standard."

The conference will consider many environmental issues including waste management, industrial emissions, water and soil, but the illegal killing of birds has been side-lined to a separate workshop away from the main conference.

Around 40 people gathered in Floriana to protest as environment minister Leo Brincat entered the hotel where the conference was held, however the minister arrived just in time to avoid facing the demonstrators. 

The demonstrators holding banners and placards which read 'Stop the Slaughter' and 'Dead birds can't breed' and following a brief alteration were asked by the hotel management to move away from the entrance. After the police were called by the management the protestors peacefully dispersed.   

"We wonder if Malta was so embarrassed about discussions about the illegal killing of birds taking place that any serious discussion had to take place in another room away from the gaze of senior policy makers from other European countries," Debono said.

The Coalition is determined that delegates to the conference, including Karl Falkenberg, European Commission Director General for the Environment, know about the situation regarding Malta's disregard of European environmental legislation about birds and it will be staging a peaceful protest outside the venue as the Minister arrives.

"Our peaceful protest should ensure that all the European delegates are fully aware that they are staying in a country that allows the mass shooting of turtle dove and quail in spring. These are species of conservation concern and spring hunting of them is expressly forbidden by EU environmental legislation," Debono said.

However, the environment ministry denied these allegations and insisted that it was not involved in setting up the conference's agenda.

"We would like to clarify that contrary to what was implied in certain sections of the local media Minister Leo Brincat had nothing to do with the agenda setting of the IMPEL conference."

The ministry also explained that Brincat "made no attempt to avoid the protest since, as the organisers can confirm, he was scheduled to arrive early to meet the host of the conference including the EU Director Generali for the Environment."

Coalition members will be joining experts from BirdLife Malta as they brief the EC Director General for the Environment about their analysis of the application of the derogation that allowed spring hunting in 2013.  "BirdLife's report makes it abundantly clear that Malta breaks the rules when applying a derogation of the Birds' Directive to allow spring hunting. We will urge him to take appropriate action," Debono said.

The Coalition is also collecting signatures for a referendum to abolish spring hunting.  "We have been collecting signatures for just two months.  We need over 34,500 Maltese voters to sign the petition. To add your name to the many thousands who are calling for a referendum please email us at [email protected]. Around 10,000 signatures have been collected so far," Debono said.

During a press conference held later this morning, the European Commission Director General for the Environmen Karl Falkenberg insisted that he had not discussed illegal hunting with the Maltese government and had no intention of doing so in his short stay in Malta.

Asked by MaltaToday whether the European Commission would take any action against Malta if it is proved that the derogation of the Birds' Directive was being breached, Falkenberg said: "If a problem arises in the implantation hunting regulations there are the national courts which can ensure that Maltese law is respected. The issue should be firstly handled in Malta."

Falkenberg explained that since the European Court of Justice ruled that Spring hunting is permissible, Malta had brought its laws "in line" with European legislation.

"There is no absolute prohibition of spring hunting," he said, stressing that existing legislation and the ECJ confirmed this.

While admitting that hunting "has been a problem for a very long period in Malta," good progress had been achieved in aligning Maltese legislation with European environmental directives.

"However, we do recognise that the issue is a complex one and we need to look into the way spring hunting is implemented."

While insisting that "what is key is that Maltese legislation is in line with European law," Falkenberg said that discussions would be held with the Maltese government later this year on the implementation of spring hunting regulations.

Stressing that BirdLife and other organisations should first seek remedy in Maltese courts, Falkenberg  said: "The Maltese government is responsible for implementing the environmental laws. The EU only needs to take any further action if the Maltese government systemically fails to guarantee the implementation of the regulations."

Falkenberg will be meeting BirdLife officials before leaving the island this afternoon, where he is set to discuss illegal hunting and be presented with the NGO's report of spring hunting.

The director general pointed out that the meeting was being held on BirdLife's insistence. Moreover, around 20 particiapnts of the conference will be participating in the NGO's Raptor Camp where they will be able to witness the situation on the ground.