Shooting down EU laws

BirdLife International and BirdLife Malta have officially complained to the European authorities about the island’s 'rampant bird hunting and trapping' and at the failure of the Maltese Government to implement properly the EU Birds Directive. From BirdLife International:

...When entering the EU, Malta was granted a period of transition to phase out the trapping of finches, which is normally forbidden in all Member States, by 2008. However, the Maltese Government have not respected the conditions of this agreement, particularly regarding the timing of the trapping and the timetable for this phasing-out. "BirdLife Malta and BirdLife International are committed to ensure a safe future for birds in Europe, and have tried for many years to solve the problems in Malta through dialogue and cooperation with the Maltese Government," said Clairie Papazoglou, Head of BirdLife’s Brussels office.

"However, these efforts have proven to be rather fruitless, so the time has come now for the European Commission to take its responsibility as guardian of the EU's laws, and to ensure with quick and decisive legal action against Malta that next spring European birds can pass safely over the Maltese Islands. If the Commission doesn’t take decisive action against Malta on hunting it will set a dangerous precedent for other countries in the EU, and sign a death warrant for thousands of migratory birds," she added.

Update from MaltaMedia: British journalist condemns Maltese Spring hunting