Brussels, 19/02/2013 (Agence Europe) - A World Trade Organisation (WTO) panel set up upon request from Canada and Norway to rule on their appeal against the EU embargo on the import of seal products is holding hearings this week.
The WTO panel is examining the EU's ban on the import and sale of products made from seals (DS 341) and hearings started in Geneva on Monday 18 February that will run until 20 February.
EU Regulation 1007/2009/EC came into force on 20 August 2010. It imposes a total ban on imports and the marketing of seal-derived products, although it contains exemptions for the marketing of products that come from indigenous hunting by the Inuit community and hunting carried out on a small scale. The marketing of non-profit seal-derived products could also be approved if this kind of hunting is exclusively aimed at the sustainable marketing of fish stocks. Products used for medical research may also obtain authorisation.
Canada and Norway initially lodged separate appeals at the WTO in November 2009 after the EU introduced the ban in September of the same year. The WTO dispute regulation body set up a special panel for dealing with the two appeals in April 2011, and the verdict is expected in a few months' time. (EH/transl.fl)