EU Reporter

Special interest article by Tom Wise MEP

The International Whaling Commission (IWC) met in Santiago, Chile, in June of this year to discuss, amongst other things, the survival status of a number of species of whales and porpoises. The western North Pacific Gray whale, Dall's and Vaquita porpoises, and some species of dolphin were singled out as being particularly vulnerable, and the importance of establishing whale sanctuaries and imposing strict limits on whaling were high on the agenda.

This meeting was notable, as it was the first time the European Commission has been given a mandate to speak on behalf of EU member states (although not all are members of the IWC).

Her Majesty's Government has expressed extreme dissatisfaction with the Commission's performance, and has declared that as a consequence, "(The) UK will have to reflect over the benefits of a future mandate. The UK will seek to maintain the right to speak in their own right at the IWC".

Citing the fact that the Inuit people of the US practice whaling with the blessing of the IWC, Japan claims a similar right on cultural grounds for its own people. Since the IWC moratorium on whaling came into effect in 1985-86, the Japanese unilaterally introduced the concept of "scientific whaling". This involves the "study" of the contents of whale's stomachs in the name of environmental research. More than 8,000 whales have been killed and their carcasses then sold to Japanese consumers. This contrasts somewhat with the 67 whales per year that the American Inuit are allowed to land.

In a clear disregard for international protocol, Japanese whalers regularly take whales in Australian waters, which have been declared a whale sanctuary. It is an offence to kill whales in Australian waters, as confirmed by that country's federal court in January of this year. The Australian Labour Party has pledged to use military force if necessary to prevent future whaling in Antarctic waters.

As pointed out in a recent report from the EP Environment Committee, under the EU Habitats Directive no commercial whaling of any kind can be allowed in EU waters. The Commission however, having worked hard to secure a mandate to speak for member states at the IWC, found itself out of its depth, a dangerous place to be in such a contentious political arena. Those member states, such as the UK, with very strong positions on this issue consequently found themselves very poorly represented.

One might be forgiven for thinking that there could be other policy areas where individual member states might make a better job of defending our mutual interests than the unelected Commission.

Do other MEPs have non-party special interest stories?