The European Commission's position had not yet been finalised and could change in the coming weeks, a senior government spokesman said.
But, according to TimesOfMalta, Malta would object to such a proposal because it could not afford to lose a thriving industry with an export value of about €100 million a year, the spokesman said.
"The information we have is that the Commission's proposal is still being formulated and nothing is confirmed yet. Various Commission directorates do not agree with the position adopted by the Environment Directorate to take a bold decision to ban tuna trade," the spokesman said.
Malta was closely following the developments in Brussels and was already formulating its own position through the fisheries department and the planning authority, which is responsible for the international convention on endangered species, says TheTimesOfMalta.
Malta May Have a Fight on its Hands Over Tuna Fishing
MALTA - Malta is getting ready to oppose a possible EU proposal to ban the international trade of bluefin tuna as it would deal a blow to the lucrative multi-million euro industry and have a devastating effect on the livelihood of hundreds of fishermen.
