Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-06-17-Speech-4-008"
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"en.20100617.3.4-008"2
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"Madam President, let me thank the European Parliament for recalling the importance of the effective conservation of whales ahead of the annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission taking place next week in Agadir, Morocco. The priority issue in relation to this forthcoming meeting of the International Whaling Commission is to find a solution for the future of the IWC.
The stated objectives of the IWC are to conserve whales and to manage whaling operations. Following years of over-harvesting, the IWC adopted a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1982. Since then, years of unresolved debate over the proper means to conserve, utilise and study whales have made members of the IWC concerned about the bodies of future relevance. Therefore, a process was started to resolve this deadlock situation.
As you know the European Union is very committed to the protection of whales and has put in place legislation that ensures a high level of protection in this regard. Commercial whaling is not allowed in the European Union. Based on this strong will to conserve whales, last year the Council adopted a decision on the EU position for the next three annual meetings of the International Whaling Commission. The overarching objective of the decision was, I quote, ‘to ensure an effective, international regulatory framework for the conservation and management of whales guaranteeing a significant improvement in the status of whales in the long term and bringing all whaling operations under the control of the International Whaling Commission’.
So the EU calls for effective protection of whales worldwide, and in this respect we still view the IWC as an instrument to achieve this objective at global level. The European Union is encouraged by the current efforts to break the long-standing deadlock within the IWC. However, we cannot accept a final compromise unless this paves the way for a truly effective regulatory framework of the conservation and management of whales, a framework that would guarantee a significant improvement in their status in the long term.
We need to maintain the moratorium on commercial whaling and put all whaling operations under IWC control. The EU is assessing proposals such as the current IWC Chair’s compromise, and Commissioner Potočnik, who is in charge of the assessment, will inform you accordingly in due course. We will also need to maximise the European Union’s influence in the International Whaling Commission. This means ensuring unity in external representation and sincere cooperation among the Member States of the European Union.
Madam President, honourable Members, I can assure you that the European Union will work constructively in the International Whaling Commission – and elsewhere, of course – towards obtaining a good universal agreement for the conservation of whales as highlighted in the resolution of the European Parliament of 2009. With a solid European Union position we can contribute to a constructive solution that will ensure the most effective protection of whales worldwide."@en1
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