The German parliament has declared that in order to be granted EU membership, Iceland must stop whaling, mbl.is reports.
Whaling in Iceland. Photo: IPA.
“The German congress has with its decree on April 22nd 2010, declared full support of formal negotiation with Iceland, which aims to make Iceland a full member of the EU. At the same time, the Parliament has declared that Iceland must make amends in regards to whale preservation in accordance with international and EU law.”
The above is an excerpt from a memo presented by a representative of the German Ambassador to Iceland at a meeting with Icelandic officials today.
According to the Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture Jón Bjarnason, the Icelandic government is willing to participate in a group working towards reaching a compromise regarding whaling.
The International Whaling Committee will meet in Morocco later this month and the Icelandic government cannot be influenced by EU demands during that process.
