Brussels, 29/03/2010 (Agence Europe) - The proposals, mainly from the EU, providing for a ban on international sales of bluefin tuna, were rejected on Thursday 18 March by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), and this breakdown has made waves throughout the EU (EUROPE 10102). At the Agriculture-Fisheries Council of Monday 29 March, Malta, supported by France, Spain and Italy, amongst others, criticised the lack of coordination in these negotiations on the part of the EU, the lack of room to negotiate and, above all, the lack of solidarity shown by a number of EU countries, which it accuses of not following the voting recommendations. The EU was to have supported its position (ban on international sales of bluefin tuna, subject to conditions, amongst other things pending scientific opinions and staggered implementation of the timing of the ban) and abstained when the proposal forwarded by Monaco was put to the vote (immediate ban on sales of the species). However, it turns out that the United Kingdom and the Netherlands voted in favour of Monaco's proposal. The European Commission, for its part, acknowledged that this failure has had a negative impact on the credibility of the EU at international level, and on confidence between the Member States. The Commission called upon the countries of the EU to notify it of any possible actions under article 259 of the Treaty of Lisbon, which provides that "each of the Member States may bring matters before the Court of Justice of the European Union if it is of the opinion that another Member State has failed in the duties incumbent upon it by virtue of the Treaties". Before any Member State can bring any action against another on the basis of an alleged violation of its obligations under the Treaties, it must bring the matter before the Commission. (L.C/trans.fl).