During a debate in Strasbourg on Wednesday 22 January, MEPs condemned the Icelandic interim government’s decision to continue whaling for a further five years.
They called for compliance with international law, namely the moratorium on commercial whaling in force since 1985. A number of MEPs have called for trade sanctions against Iceland over its fisheries products.
Paulo Roberto de Medeiros do Nascimento (EPP, Portuguese) said that the authorisation given by Iceland did not go in the direction of protecting whales, which are a migratory species. He called for cetaceans to be taken into account in the future ‘European Oceans Pact’.
André Rodrigues (S&D, Portuguese) deplored the fact that more than 2,000 whales are at risk of disappearing as a result of Iceland’s decision. The minke whales are protected because they are threatened with extinction, he stressed. According to Mr Rodrigues, the EU must call on the new Icelandic government to reconsider the position (of the previous government).
Tilly Metz (Greens/EFA, Luxembourger) condemned the “licence to kill” granted by an interim government. She pointed out that only 29% of Icelanders support whaling.
Emma Fourreau (The Left, French) called for the EU to use all the levers at its disposal to dissuade Iceland from relaunching its “ industry of carnage”. She mentioned sanctions in the form of a ban on Icelandic fish products if hunting resumes.
Jean-Marc Germain (S&D, French) said in particular that it was necessary to ensure that whale meat could not “in any way transit through EU ports”.
Dialogue. “This decision represents a serious setback for whale conservation and also threatens the fragile balance of our marine ecosystems”, said Magnus Brunner, European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration. He called for the protection of “multilateralism” and, to this end, “the Commission will step up its engagement with the Icelandic authorities, not only to voice our criticisms, but also to better understand their point of view on whaling and to explore solutions”. According to the European Commissioner, “a positive approach in the spirit of the very good and long-standing cooperation with Iceland would be the best way to achieve results”.
At the end of 2024, Iceland’s interim government issued a new five-year licence to two vessels to hunt fin and minke whales. Until 2029, 209 fin whales and 217 minke whales can be hunted each year during the whaling season (June to September).
Japan and Norway are the other two countries circumventing the international moratorium, which does not cover aboriginal hunting, which is authorised in Denmark (Greenland), Russia (Siberia), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the United States (Alaska).
Some MEPs brought up the release by the Danish authorities of the environmental activist Paul Watson, who had denounced the “illegality” of whaling. Japan accuses Mr Watson of being co-responsible for damage and injury on board a Japanese whaling ship in 2010. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)