BirdLife Europe was categorical in its assessment of Commissioner-designate Karmenu Vella's performance in today's hearing: he has failed the hearing, and should be rejected by MEPs.

"Vella was vague, evasive and often inaccurate," BirdLife Europe's head of EU policy Ariel Brunner maintained.

"Blue fin tuna quotas are not politically determined? Gold cannot be extracted without cyanide? Malta has fewer infringements on nature directives than Germany (how about adjusting for country size)? The Birds Directive must be reviewed because it's being interpreted in the Courts just like any other law? I don't think we can feel reassured in any way by his performance," he added.

The European Environmental Bureau joined BirdLife in recommending Mr Vella's rejection, and its own EU policy director Pieter Depous said that he was either "not allowed to make any commitments during his hearing or he did not have sufficient knowledge to do so."

"Either way the conclusions for the Environment Committee should be crystal clear. They cannot let him pass if they want the European Parliament to be taken seriously in the next 5 years."

BirdLife Europe director Angelo Caserta acknowledged that no one expected a new commissioner to be on top of all their dossier, "but they should at least to show ambition and determination to tackle environmental issues. Vella clearly failed on this front."

Mr Caserta also noted that Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker ignored the appeal of the environmental community and of MEPs to assign sustainability to one of his Vice Presidence, adding that "it is clear to me that this Commissioner must be rejected, to force Juncker to reconsider his approach."