92002E2554

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2554/02

by Catherine Stihler (PSE) to the Commission

(12 September 2002)

Subject: Malta's accession to the EU and the Wild Birds Directive

Further to recent reports in the Maltese press about possible exemptions from the Wild Birds Directive for Malta on accession to the EU, with particular regard to spring hunting and trapping, can the Commission confirm that such reports are nothing more than speculation and that Malta will not be granted any transitional periods or exemptions with regard to the implementation of this Directive?

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(11 November 2002)

The implementation of Directive 79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979 on the conservation of wild birds(1) has been negotiated in the framework of the accession negotiations on the environment chapter with Malta. As regards the specific aspect of spring hunting, Malta has committed itself to fully implement, as from accession, the relevant parts of the Directive. Article 9 of this Directive allows for exceptions under certain very stringent conditions. If Malta wishes to allow spring hunting, for instance in relation to turtle dove and quail, it would need to ensure that all the requirements of Article 9 are met and that any permitted hunting is carried out under strictly supervised conditions and limited to small numbers only. Furthermore, the use of Article 9 is subject to monitoring by the Commission and Malta is committed, where it chooses recourse to this article, to report each year on its possible use.

Therefore, bird hunting in Malta can, as from accession, only take place within the limits provided for by the Directive and Malta has not been granted a transitional period in this respect.

As regards trapping, Malta negotiated and the Council agreed to a transitional period of five years (until 31 December 2008) to allow the capture of seven finch species, by the use of traditional nets known as clap-nets within the Maltese islands, exclusively for the purpose of keeping them in captivity and to allow the setting up of a functioning breeding system. During this period, Malta must implement a series of measures, following an agreed timetable, to ensure full enforcement of the related provisions of the Directive by 31 December 2008. These measures include the establishment of the Maltese Ornis Committee by 31 December 2002, the census of all trapping sites by 31 December 2003 and the introduction of a captive-breeding programme by 30 June 2005. The EU expects that, with these measures, the number of captured birds will be significantly reduced during the transitional period.

(1) OJ L 103, 25.4.1979.