Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/683529
WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT WEDNESDAY EDITION €1.00 Newspaper post WEDNESDAY • 25 MAY 2016 • ISSUE 470 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY EDITORIAL • PAGE 9 OPEN DAY CELEBRATING THE 6 TH ANNIVERSARY SUNDAY 29 th MAY 2016 • FROM 10:00 TILL 20:30 FREE ENTRANCE • PALUMBO MALTA SHIPYARD, GHAJN DWIELI FROM 10:00 TILL 20:30 PALUMBO MALTA SHIPYARD, GHAJN DWIELI PALUMBO MALTA SHIPYARD, GHAJN DWIELI Free tours around the shipyard. Family entertainment throughout the day. Free rides, Face painting and much more. THE MALTA PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA IRA LOSCO • JOSEPH CALLEJA MALTA SHIPYARD LTD FROM 18:00 Spring hunting moratorium 'should not save Malta from EU court action' TIM DIACONO THE European Commission can still open infringement pro- cedures against Malta over this year's spring hunting season, even if the government imposes a moratorium on the practice, BirdLife Europe's director said. Angelo Caserta told Malta- Today that the European Com- mission should still investigate Malta for potentially breaching EU law by permitting hunters to gun down 5,000 turtle doves – a vulnerable species – during this year's spring hunting season. "A moratorium will be a sign of goodwill, but frankly I don't think that it will have any impact on the European Commission's decision to open infringement procedures," he said. Caserta praised European envi- ronment commissioner Karmenu Vella – who has also called for a moratorium on spring hunting – as having taken a "very balanced view on the problem". "His decisions so far have re- spected EU law, and we trust his political and legal judgement," he said. "At the end of the day, it's the European Commission's de- cision on whether or not to open infringement procedures against Malta. If they choose not to take Malta to the EU Court of Justice, then BirdLife will have to discuss what potential action to take." Karmenu Vella's spokesperson, Enrico Brivio, refused to confirm whether the EC is considering taking Malta to court, arguing that it cannot announce news concerning infringements in ad- vance. He also declined to answer whether the EC is ready to drop any future infringement proce- dures if the Mal- tese government voluntarily applies a moratorium on spring hunting. "The question concerns a hypothetical reaction of the EC to a hypothetical de- cision of the Maltese govern- ment and unfortunately cannot be answered," he told MaltaTo- day. PAGE 8 BirdLife Europe director says European Commission should charge Malta in court for opening a spring hunting season this year, regardless of whether the government applies a moratorium on it European Commissioner Karmenu Vella Animal lovers protest against 'cruel Animal Welfare' PAGES 4-5 White Rocks value 'much higher' than €22 million JAMES DEBONO THE value of the White Rocks complex concession is much high- er than the €22 million reported in the media, the government said yesterday. The Malta Independent yes- terday quoted "well informed sources" that White Rocks De- velopment Company, a consor- tium made up of a number of lo- cal and foreign companies, would be paying €22 million for the land involved – a price tag considered cheap by property experts when considering the prime location of the land, and its area, for a project which is set to attract the top end of the market. In reaction, the economy min- istry said that "the capital invest- ment proposed is much higher than that mentioned in media re- ports and reflects the proper value and economic potential of the des- ignated area." PAGE 6