Gozo Ministry to spend €1 million on further bird studies

The government is spending another €1 million on wild bird migration and breeding studies in anticipation of a final ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) against Malta’s controversial decision to allow finch trapping.

According to the new €900,000 ‘research’ tender issued by the Wild Birds Unit within the Gozo Ministry, Malta needs to update its reporting under the Birds Directive by carrying out further studies on the type of wild birds breeding in Malta and those migrating over the island.

The tender includes a monitoring system to present data for a new Breeding Birds Atlas to cover the period 2025 to 2030. The winning company is required to employ a number of scientists and ornithologists to conduct the five-year studies.

Ecoserv Ltd was the only bidder, with an offer of €899,500 — just €500 below the estimated value. The company is owned by Lucienne and Joseph Borg of Naxxar, who are also directors of Institute for Environmental Studies Ltd.

The Department of Contracts has recommended that Ecoserv be awarded the tender.

It is not excluded that data gathered for the project will be used by the hunter’s lobby and the government to ask for future trapping derogations.

European Union laws prohibit wild bird trapping but Malta used a derogation to continue allowing trappers to catch several protected finch species. The initiative was led by the Gozo Ministry, headed by Clint Camilleri who happens to be a hunter. The government claimed the derogation was needed to study the migratory patterns and breeding habits of these birds.

The government has spent millions over the past year to appease the hunting lobby in exchange for electoral support.

Last February, The Shift revealed that the government hired a top Spanish lawyer who used to work at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to form part of the team defending Malta on illegal bird trapping. Professor Daniel Sarmiento has already cost taxpayers €111,000.

According to EU rules, Malta should have outlawed trapping when it became a member state in 2004, but governments have consistently tried to appease the hunting lobby by finding new ways to bypass EU rules.

Malta was ordered to stop trapping after an EU court case in 2018 because the practice goes against the Birds Directive.

The Labour government challenged the Birds Directive through a derogation under which Malta continued to allow trapping because birds were to be captured for “research purposes”.

In response, the EU opened another court case against Malta in 2023 accusing the island of breaching the Birds Directive yet again.

The ECJ’s attorney general filed an opinion last May stating that Malta’s derogation is not justified and goes against EU rules. A final judgment by the ECJ is scheduled for September.