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Camilleri clashes with BirdLife, accuses NGO of inciting against Malta
BirdLife Malta responds by accusing Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri of pandering to hunters and trappers
1 November 2025, 6:36pm
Matthew Farrugia
Matthew Farrugia
2 min read
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BirdLife CEO Mark Sultana (left) blasted Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri (right) for suggesting that BirdLife is “against our country”
Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri and BirdLife Malta have traded jabs at each other after the European Commission stated that Malta’s finch-trapping derogation is not in line with EU law.
In a statement on Facebook, BirdLife Malta CEO Mark Sultana responded to Camilleri’s post, accusing the NGO of inciting against Malta.
Sultana blasted Camilleri for suggesting that BirdLife is “against our country.”
“As an NGO, we have very little power to stop you,” Sultana wrote, slamming Camilleri for not paying attention to BirdLife. He mentioned the minister’s refusal to listen to the NGO when they called for no-hunting zones around schools.
“We suggest it because we love Malta. Because in Malta there are not only hunters here.”
Earlier on Saturday, the European Commission stated that Malta remains under scrutiny for failing to comply with a key ruling of the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
In response, Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri said he had recently met with European Commissioner Jessika Roswall to continue discussions on solutions for “research involving seven species of songbirds” in Malta.
He added that the letter from European Commission staff to BirdLife did not state that Malta’s derogation was illegal, but rather that it was still being evaluated.
The minister added that Malta’s legal framework had been recognised by the ECJ for its precision, though the Court had previously found that a prior declaration lacked full justification.
Last year, the ECJ decreed that Malta’s Finches Project did not establish a genuine research purpose and was therefore unjustified.
READ ALSO | Government reopens finch trapping, after EU Court rules research derogation illegal
“Malta has taken note of this judgment,” Camilleri said, boasting of government’s commitment to being “the shield of all hobbies.”
Matthew Farrugia is a journalist at MaltaToday
He was the joint-winner (2025) as upcoming...
