EU commissioner fell into 'greenwashing trap,' says BirdLife CEO

European Commissioner for the Environment Jessika Roswall visited wildlife conservation initiatives in Malta.

Minister for Planning Clint Camilleri welcomed Roswall during her visit to Malta, where she saw the conservation initiatives being carried out in the country by the Federation of Hunters and Trappers (FKNK).

“The Commissioner for the Environment fell into the trap of a greenwashing campaign sponsored by Minister Clint Camilleri to paint hunting as an act of conservation,” BirdLife CEO Mark Sultana said when speaking to MaltaToday.

While the commissioner did attend a broader stakeholders' meeting, Sultana called the visit "disappointing," after Roswall declined an invitation to the NGO’s reserves because she was “busy” in her meeting with the hunter’s lobby.

“The commissioner spent more time with those destroying nature than with those trying to protect it.”

The visit was overshadowed by urgent calls from NGOs and residents for stricter conservation enforcement amid rising eco-strain in Malta.

On Monday, BirdLife reported that an estimated 72% of hunters observed during the first week of this year’s spring hunting season were not targeting Common Quail but were instead aiming at Turtle-doves.