Give up whaling, European Parliament tells would-be member Iceland

Jul 7, 2010, 13:44 GMT

Strasbourg, France - Iceland must give up whaling and support international bans on the practice if it wants to become a member of the European Union, the European Parliament said Wednesday.

The move is likely to increase tensions between Iceland and the 27-member EU as the two sides look to begin membership talks. Icelandic voters are wary of what they see as EU interference in their traditional fisheries, but the parliament has the right to block accession if it feels its wishes have not been respected.

Iceland should give up all whaling and should support fully the International Whaling Commission's (IWC) moratorium on commercial whaling, members of the parliament (MEPs) said in a declaration.

The EU has outlawed whaling and lobbies against the practice in the IWC. But Iceland sees whaling as part of its cultural and commercial heritage.

At the same time, the Atlantic nation has emerged as a rare success story in the management of its fisheries, striking a delicate balance between supporting fishermen and preserving fish stocks. The EU's fisheries policy, on the other hand, has ended in the dangerous overfishing of some 85 per cent of edible species.

MEPs 'recognize the responsible and sustainable manner in which Iceland has managed its marine resources and expects both the EU and the Icelandic authorities to adopt a constructive attitude' in membership talks, they said.

Iceland applied for EU membership last year after the worldwide financial crisis brought its economy to the brink of collapse. EU leaders approved the start of accession talks on June 17.

However, Icelandic voters appear to be cooling on the idea of joining the bloc. Fears that the EU will ruin their fisheries have coupled with resentment at a row with Britain and the Netherlands over the repayment of bank-deposit compensation to tarnish the EU's image on the island.

MEPs insisted that the bank issue is bilateral, pointing out that a deal would improve perceptions of Iceland's EU bid on all sides.