Ivan Camilleri in Brussels

European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas yesterday piled pressure on Malta to ban spring hunting, labelling the practice "madness".

Only a week after slapping Malta with a final written warning over spring hunting, Mr Dimas dedicated his weekly blog to the matter.

The Commission, he said, is taking this issue very seriously and will be doing all it can to stop hunting in spring.

"The issue is quite clear from an environmental point of view. Spring hunting means hunting the breeding stock before they have bred which is like living off your capital instead of your interest.

"It is madness in terms of conservation and is the absolute opposite of responsible and sustainable hunting - which is why EU nature legislation prohibits spring hunting," he said.

Going to court over this question is a last resort since the Commission prefers to discuss in order to find an agreed solution to existing problems.

However, he reterated that one of the basic jobs of the European Commission is to enforce EU law.

"Where there is no other solution, I have made it clear I will use the full force of the law to ensure that provisions on environmental protection are respected," he said.

Mr Dimas called spring hunting one of the most controversial issues he had to deal with over recent years, recalling similar cases with France, Finland, Italy and Cyprus.

He said he has received hundreds of letters, petitions and parliamentary questions on the subject.

"With the latest decisions, the Commission has made its opposition to this practice absolutely clear and I hope we can finally put the question of spring hunting behind us," he wrote.

Following a formal notice on spring hunting in July last year, the Commission last week decided to step up its infringement procedures with the issue of a reasoned opionion.

If Malta does not change its law or provide a reasonable legal explanation, the Commission may decide to take the island to the European Court of Justice.