International Fund for Animal Welfare report on the Economics of Japanese Whaling

11.3.2013

Question for written answer E-002859-13
to the Commission
Rule 117
Sonia Alfano (ALDE) , Kriton Arsenis (S&D) , Gaston Franco (PPE) , Jacqueline Foster (ECR) , Julie Girling (ECR) , Mikael Gustafsson (GUE/NGL) , Sidonia Elżbieta Jędrzejewska (PPE) , Dan Jørgensen (S&D) , Jörg Leichtfried (S&D) , Kartika Tamara Liotard (GUE/NGL) , David Martin (S&D) , Cristiana Muscardini (ECR) , Bill Newton Dunn (ALDE) , Sirpa Pietikäinen (PPE) , Pavel Poc (S&D) , Raül Romeva i Rueda (Verts/ALE) , Daciana Octavia Sârbu (S&D) , Joanna Senyszyn (S&D) , Keith Taylor (Verts/ALE) , Janusz Wojciechowski (ECR) , Andrea Zanoni (ALDE)

In the light of the newly published IFAW report ‘The Economics of Japanese Whaling’, which was based on the findings of leading Japan-based agencies and, to a large extent, on the government of Japan’s own data, and in view of Commissioner Poto’s response to Written Question E-002263/2012 and Commissioner De Gucht’s response to Written Question E-012352/2011:

Is the Commission aware of IFAW’s report and/or will it, in advance of launching trade negotiations with Japan, discuss with Japanese officials the evidence of the use of public money and diversion of tsunami relief funds to support the unprofitable whaling industry and the lack of scientific value of Japan’s so-called ‘scientific whaling’?

Will the provisions on trade and sustainable development in any future EU-Japan trade deal also ensure the effective implementation of the International Convention on the regulation of Whaling (ICRW) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CDB)?

OJ C 6 E, 10/01/2014