Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/219723
3 News maltatoday, SUNDAY, 1 DECEMBER 2013 Hunters exploring legal avenues as referendum threat grows not support such a referendum. As it stands, the law forces an abrogative referendum when the required amount of signatures are collected and appropriately verified. The hunters' federation are hoping to stall the referendum after some 28,000 signatures were col- CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 MALTATODAY understands that other high-calibre lawyers are assisting the FKNK in a possible challenge to the petition organised by BirdLife Malta and the Campaign Against Spring Hunting, for 34,000 signatures to force the Electoral Commission to hold an abrogative referendum on spring hunting. Malta has derogated from the Birds Directive's ban on spring hunting every year since accession to the EU, in 2004. Government sources told MaltaToday yesterday that the Electoral Commission had already met lawyers engaged by the FKNK, seeking information on the mechanics of the referendum. Nationalist Party leader Simon Busuttil has already stated that the PN will not be supporting the call for an abrogative referendum on spring hunting. On his part, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has adopted a non-committal stance. But he had said during an electoral debate prior to the 2013 elections, that he would Rain foils protest march SATURDAY'S rain and strong winds forced environmentalists to postpone a protest march that would have seen 12 NGOs joining forces against controversial planning policies issued by the Labour government. The policies under formulation by MEPA will regulate new development in outside development zones (ODZ), and high-rise buildings beyond current local plan restrictions, which the NGOs claim will bring widespread destruction of the countryside and further reduce open spaces. The NGOs said a new high-rise policy (see pages 8-9) will increase traffic, restrict residents' light and air, and that a land reclamation project will obliterate more coastline. The organisations are Birdlife Malta, Din l-Art Helwa, Flimkien għal-Ambjent Aħjar, Friends of the Earth Malta, Gaia Foundation, Greenhouse Malta, Malta Organic Agricultural Movement, Moviment Graffitti, Nature Trust Malta, Ramblers Association of Malta, Y4TE, Why Not?, as well as several local residents' associations. "Building has continued unabated under previous administrations over several decades resulting in some 70,000 empty or under-utilised properties while no strategic study has been carried out to justify the need to further increase capacity," the NGOs said in a joint statement. lected by the time of going to print. Now C.A.S.H. is aiming at collecting far more than the obligatory 34,000 signatures, which represents 10% of all registered voters. This is one of the few times that a collection of signatures for an abrogative referendum is being organised by civil society. Although MaltaToday surveys indicate that the majority of the Maltese public are against spring hunting, supporters of the abrogative referendum want to combine the plebiscite with the 2014 European elections, or the 2015 local council elections, to ensure a strong voter turnout.