Brussels, 24/09/2015 (Agence Europe) - Despite numerous calls to order, Malta still allows the trapping of wild finches, a persistent infringement of EU law that means that it will now be hauled before the European Court of Justice, according to a European Commission decision announced on Thursday 24 September.
The European Commission accuses the Maltese authorities of allowing a finch-trapping season to begin in 2014, despite an initial warning letter being sent by the Commission in October 2014, followed by a reasoned opinion in May 2015, urging them to put an end to this practice.
The Commission explains that finch-trapping infringes EU Directive 2009/147/EC on the conservation of wild birds. The directive bans activities that directly threaten wild birds, such as deliberate killing or capture, destruction of nests and removal of eggs, and associated activities such as trading in live or dead birds, with a few exceptions.
The legislation also places great emphasis on the protection of habitats for endangered and migratory species, especially through the establishment of a network of Special Protection Areas (SPAs).
Under the directive, there is limited scope for derogations from the requirement of strict protection where there is no other satisfactory solution, for instance, in the interests of public health and safety or air safety, to prevent serious damage to crops, livestock, forests, fisheries and water, and for the protection of flora and fauna.
Derogations may also be permitted for the purposes of research and teaching, repopulation, reintroduction and for the breeding necessary for these purposes, but the Commission says that these criteria are not met when it comes to finches. A transitional arrangement was granted to Malta to allow it to phase out finch-trapping, taking into account the time required to establish a captive breeding programme. The transitional arrangement expired in 2008. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)