Busuttil lashes out at tuna conservationists

While addressing a press conference on Friday afternoon outlining the Nationalist MEPs programme of work for the first year of the European Parliament legislature 2009-2014, Busuttil told journalists: “If the fishing that is being made is legal, then the disruptive actions by tuna conservationists are illegal.

“We know what happened at the ICCAT conference. We have to arrive at a stage where environmentalists accept that legal tuna fishing is accepted.” Busuttil insisted, referring to the skirmish between conservationists Sea Shepherd and a Maltese tuna vessel.

The Nationalist MEP explained how the EPP’s position on tuna was that it had to protected in order to avoid depletion of stocks, however the Nationalist MEPs supported the Maltese government’s position in this respect that fishing should not be stopped further.

He called for “common sense” to apply between both sides and that such incidents are avoided.

On his part, Nationalist MEP David Casa accused the PL of “inconsistencies” on its abortion position. He claimed that while all political parties in Malta, even Labour leader Joseph Muscat, had expressed himself against the introduction of abortion in Malta, Labour had voted in favour of a report approved by the EP plenary session this week which was “in favour of abortion”.

Echoing Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi’s declaration at the end of the EU leaders’ meeting on Thursday night, Casa also called on the PL to play ball on the pensions’ reform and the health reform, which Malta, he said, would have to undertake as a result of the decisions taken by EU leaders in favour of fiscal consolidation. “For instance, France has just announced that it will be increasing pensionable age to 63 in order to curb its budget deficit,” Casa explained. “If we also want to remain with a free health service that is sustainable, then the PL must make a partisan issue out of these discussions,” Casa insisted.

Casa also lashed out against the admission of Turkey in the EU. “I am a great sceptic about this.  In order to join the EU, Turkey has to fulfil various conditions. “On the question of freedom of religion and human rights, Turkey still has miles to go,” Casa claimed.

During the press conference, the two PN MEPs presented a seventeen-page report outlining their work in the EPP. For instance, PN MEPs presented 8 report as against the PL’3; 41 speeches for the PN in plenary as against the PL’s 21; and 82 parliamentary questions for the PN as against the PL’s 16.