Press Release: European Commission expresses concern over Japanese scientific whaling and calls on EU Member States to agree on a unified position against all whale hunting

The European Commission expressed once again its concern over Japanese whaling and supported the call for a strong stance against scientific whaling. The images that have been flashing on television screens across the world are a reminder of how some countries continue to flout the international ban on the hunting of whales under the guise of scientific research. The Member States of the European Union must act in unison to protect whales. The European Commission called on EU Member States to agree on a common position on the protection of whales before the next meeting of the International Whaling Commission in June 2008 as proposed by the Commission in December 2007. Such a common position would reinforce greatly the European Union's efforts to protect whales.