The Government of Malta has said today that it believes it has acted in line with the judgement of the European Court of Justice delivered on 10 September 2009. They have issued the following details in answer to a statement released by BirdLife International on the 9th of April 2010, reacting to the Government’s opening of a Spring Hunting Season in 2010.

"60. In the present case, it is apparent … … that, in the autumn hunting seasons of the years in question, hunters were able to capture only an inconsiderable number of birds."

"62. Finally, it is not apparent from the documents in the case that the population of the two species of bird hunted is below a satisfactory level. It is apparent, in particular, from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species that the species in question are listed in the ‘least concern’ category.

63. Having regard to those very specific circumstances, hunting for quails and turtle doves during the autumn hunting season cannot be regarded as constituting, in Malta, another satisfactory solution, so that the condition that there be no other satisfactory solution, laid down in Article 9(1) of the Directive, should, in principle, be considered met."

The Governement concluded by saying that the European Commission agrees with the Maltese Government that the said finding of the Court accepts that the opening of a Spring Hunting Season in Malta is in principle justified provided that proportionality is maintained. The rigorous conditions under which the 2010 Spring Season in Malta has been opened respect the requirement of proportionality as required by the Court

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