Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001959/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Sebastian Everding (The Left), Anja Hazekamp (The Left), Krzysztof Śmiszek (S&D), Sirpa Pietikäinen (PPE), Rudi Kennes (The Left), Anthony Smith (The Left), Petras Auštrevičius (Renew), David Cormand (Verts/ALE), Estelle Ceulemans (S&D), Damien Carême (The Left), Emma Fourreau (The Left), Ville Niinistö (Verts/ALE), Friedrich Pürner (NI), Jessika Van Leeuwen (PPE)
The hunting method grindadráp is a practice in the Faroe Islands involving the annual slaughter of whole families of long-finned pilot whales, Atlantic white-sided dolphins and other cetaceans[1]. This results in an average of 1 100 cetaceans being killed each year[2].
As the largest trading partner of the Faroe Islands, the EU can promote reforms in the Faroe Islands that align with modern marine conservation standards. The EU has enacted legislation to protect cetaceans from being hunted, caught or kept in captivity as well as to prohibit trade in products both made from these animals and originating from non-EU countries[3].
- 1.How has the Commission addressed the Faroe Islands’ failure to cooperate in cetacean conservation during the latest consultations[4]?
- 2.What measures will the Commission take to improve transparency when it comes to the country of origin labelling for fish products from the Faroe Islands?
- 3.What concrete actions has the Commission undertaken since Parliament’s 2021 call to continuously engage with the Faroe Islands in order to stop the practice of the grindadráp hunting method[5], and what future actions does it envisage?
Submitted: 15.5.2025
- [1] Heimabeiti, ‘Hvalvágir góðkendar’, https://heimabeiti.fo/176.
- [2] According to correspondence with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which documents the hunts.
- [3] Council Decision 82/461/EEC of 24 June 1982 on the conclusion of the Convention on the conservation of migratory species of wild animals (OJ L 210, 19.7.1982, p. 10, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/1982/461/oj); Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/1992/43/oj); Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97 of 9 December 1996 on the protection of species of wild fauna and flora by regulating trade therein (OJ L 61, 3.3.1997, p. 1,ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/1997/338/oj).
- [4] Memorandum of Understanding on Enhanced Cooperation between the European Union and the Government of the Faroe Islands, signed on 14 March 2024, https://www.eeas.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/2024/20240321%20Signed%20MoU.pdf.
- [5] European Parliament resolution of 9 June 2021 on the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030: Bringing nature back into our lives (OJ C 67, 8.2.2022, p. 25).