Luxemburg, 06/06/2008 (Agence Europe) - In Luxemburg on 5 June, the Environment Council reached a common position for the European Community at the next meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWO), which is responsible for protecting and maintaining world whale stocks (Santiago, Chile, 23-27 June 2008). The decision, which was adopted without debate, will allow the EU to speak with a single voice, for the first time, to call for the 1986 whaling moratorium to be kept in place.
Currently, 21 EU member states (all, except, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta and Poland) are members of the IWO, and the European Commission has only observer status in this body. (A.N./transl. rt)