WDC welcomes EU Parliament's continued opposition to Japanese Whaling

Yesterday (25th October 2012), the European Parliament passed a resolution on the development of a a free trade agreement with Japan ( European Parliament resolution of 25 October 2012 on EU trade negotiations with Japan (2012/2711(RSP)).

WDC was pleased to note that the resolution, whilst urging the development of the agreement noted that,

‘… the Commission, the Council and Parliament support the maintenance of the global moratorium on commercial whaling and a ban on international commercial trade in whale products, seek to end so-called scientific whaling and support the designation of substantial regions of ocean and seas as sanctuaries in which all whaling is indefinitely prohibited’, and,

‘Notes that serious divergences remain between the EU and Japan on issues related to the management of fisheries and whaling, notably Japan’s whaling under the guise of scientific whaling, and calls for broader discussions on the matter of the abolition of whale hunting and of trade in whale products’.

This is fully in accordance with EU law that prohibits any commercial whaling or trade in whale products and WDC commends the EU’s parliamentarians for ensuring that this issue is front-and-centre in discussions with Japan.

WDC has long argued that EU law means that EU member states cannot vote for any form of commercial whaling and we are pleased to see EU Parliamentarians upholding this position.