Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/741600
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 23 OCTOBER 2016 28 Letters The European Commission has expressed "serious concern" at reports indicating that breaches of Maltese laws transposing the Birds Directive may not be adequately pursued to ensure compliance with the directive. Following on the heels of a police memo issued three weeks ago ordering police not to arraign individuals caught trapping quails, golden plovers, turtle doves and thrushes, or hunting at sea with engines capable of speeds higher than 18 km/hour, the Commission is saying it is "closely following the situation in Malta" on the system- atic enforcement of hunting laws. "Adoption of legislation control- ling hunting is only a first step; for the legislation to be complied with there must be effective enforce- ment in practice. The Commis- sion is closely following the situa- tion in Malta and will not hesitate to take all measures available to it in order to ensure effective com- pliance with the Birds Directive in Malta." The police memo was issued the same day a group of hunters gath- ered outside the Prime Minister's office at Castille to protest against "restrictions" imposed on them by the government. The memo prompted the res- ignation of respected ornitholo- gist Joe Sultana from the Ornis Committee, who has vowed never to sit again on the beleaguered committee. Close friends of the internation- ally recognised ornithologist said Sultana was displeased at the lack of political resolve to enforce the new laws. Although Sultana's departure as advisor to the Ornis Commit- tee was expected to trigger the European Commission to take a tougher stance with the local authorities, Brussels was never informed of his departure. "That's information we didn't have," Nicholas Hanley, head com- munications at the Environment DG in Brussels, said. Birdlife Malta filed a judicial protest against Environment Min- ister George Pullicino, Environ- ment Director of MEPA, Martin Seychell, and Commissioner of Police, Mr. John Rizzo based on the recent memo sent to officers in the Administrative Law Enforce- ment Unit to refrain until further notice, from pressing charges against hunters caught breaking the law. A copy of the judicial protest was sent to the European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas, since the application of the in- structions contained in the memo amount to a breach of Commu- nity law as well as national law. The judicial protest is being filed against Minister Pullicino for his failure to ensure that the law is en- forced in a situation that merited action against the Police Commis- sioner, under whose authority this directive was certainly issued, and MEPA's Environment Director for failing to act in defence of the said law. According to Art.28 of Legal Notice 79/2006, the Minister of Environment can hold account- able the Executive Police Corps or any other institution that fails in its responsibilities to uphold the law in question. The protest states that the direc- tive is in breach of the Criminal Code that clearly outlines the responsibility of the police to press charges against all breaking the law and to bring them before the judiciary in the shortest period of time possible. The law also clearly lists the specific conditions within which delays in taking such action are permissible. Speaking in front of the court house in Valletta the lawyer rep- resenting BirdLife Malta, Franco Vassallo said: "None of these conditions are met by the present directive issued on September 30th instructing police officers to file a report but not to imme- diately arraign individuals who trap quails, golden plovers, turtle doves and thrushes. The police are also instructed to issue no charges against those hunting at sea with engines capable of developing speeds higher than 18 km/hour. Both these instructions go against the European Union's Birds Direc- tive." The police have further been instructed not to take immediate action against those using trap- ping nets exceeding the measure- ments published in Legal Notice 79/2006. Besides, no infringement proceedings will be taken against those using shotguns with cham- bers capable of taking more than two cartridges. "Law enforcement agencies are there to ensure observation of the law. If they dismiss the obligation for all to equally respect the law, it is a serious dereliction of their duties and they therefore become liable to legal action themselves," concluded Vassallo. Send your letters to: The Editor, MaltaToday, MediaToday Ltd. Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 | Fax: (356) 21 385075 E-mail: newsroom@mediatoday.com.mt. Letters to the Editor should be concise. No pen names are accepted. Brussels 'will not hesitate to take action' on hunting breaches EASY PARKING PARK AT... facebook.com/mcpcarparks C A R PA R K S www.mcpcarparks.com.mt Floriana Hamrun Ta' Qali News – 22 October, 2006 Free childcare for all not a positive proposal One of the most idiotic of the so-called "proposals" of the PN in its pre-budget docu- ment, is the one which says that free childcare should be extended to all women "who are not in the workforce", and not just those who want to go out to work and have no one who looks after their very young children. In other words, Simon Busuttil is saying that Mal- tese and Gozitan taxpayers should become the babysit- ters also for those women who do not go out to work and can look after their own children! Apart from the fact that they will not be paying in- come tax and social security contributions, which women who go out to work do. Simon Busuttil knows that he is in a desperate politi- cal situation and so is ready to promise anything which, when he had written the PN's electoral manifestos of 2008 and 2013, had not even dreamt of including! Eddy Privitera Mosta