Maltese 2008 spring hunting season banned by European Court

[Guest guest]

Maltese 2008 spring hunting season banned by European

Court

25-04-2008

 

BirdLife International and BirdLife Malta welcomed

yesterday’s decision by the European Court of Justice

to issue interim measures ordering Malta not to open

the 2008 spring hunting season for European

Turtle-dove Streptopelia turtur and Common Quail

Coturnix coturnix. This Order implies that the Court

sees urgent need to prevent irreversible damage to

these migratory bird species, while a final ruling on

this case is pending and not expected before 2009.

 

In January 2008, based on a complaint by BirdLife, the

European Commission took the Maltese government to

Court for having allowed, every spring since the

country’s accession to the EU in 2004, hunting and

trapping of European Turtle-dove and Common Quail, in

direct contravention of the EU Birds Directive. Malta

is located on an important bird migration route in the

Mediterranean. Hunting during the sensitive breeding

and spring migration period is prohibited under EU

law, in all Member States.

 

Full story at

http://www.birdlife.org/news/news/2008/04/malta_interim_measures.html