Conseil UE Euroopan unionin neuvosto Bryssel, 2. joulukuuta 2015 (OR. en) 14908/15 LIMITE PUBLIC ENV 764 PECHE 464 ILMOITUS: A-KOHTA Lähettäjä: Vastaanottaja: Asia: Neuvoston pääsihteeristö Neuvosto Euroopan unionin ja sen jäsenvaltioiden tuki Uuden-Seelannin Japanin hallitukselle osoittamalle viralliselle yhteydenotolle, joka koskee valaanpyynnin uudelleen käynnistämistä Eteläisellä jäämerellä (NEWREP A -ohjelma) Hyväksyminen 1. Pysyvien edustajien komitea pääsi 2. joulukuuta 2015 yhteisymmärrykseen siitä, että Euroopan unioni ja sen jäsenvaltiot yhtyvät Uuden-Seelannin Japanin hallitukselle osoittamaan viralliseen yhteydenottoon, joka koskee valaanpyynnin uudelleen käynnistämistä Eteläisellä jäämerellä uuden tieteellisen valaanpyyntiohjelman (NEWREP A) puitteissa, ja sopi yhteydenoton osoittamista koskevista yksityiskohdista. Virallisen yhteydenoton teksti ja saatekirje ovat tämän ilmoituksen liitteessä. Komissio ilmoitti aikovansa esittää neuvoston pöytäkirjaan merkittävän lausuman. Virallisen yhteydenoton todennäköistä esittämisajankohtaa koskevien päivitettyjen tietojen vastaanottaminen mahdollistaa sen, että neuvosto voi hyväksyä yhteydenoton seuraavan istuntonsa A-kohtana kirjallisen menettelyn sijasta. 14908/15 js/vk/jk 1 DG E 1A LIMITE FI
2. Neuvostoa pyydetään näin ollen hyväksymään Japanin NEWREP A -ohjelman puitteissa toteuttamaa valaanpyyntiä koskevan virallisen yhteydenoton teksti sellaisena kuin se on liitteessä; valtuuttamaan EU:n Tokion edustuston allekirjoittamaan EU:n puolesta ja Luxemburgin allekirjoittamaan EU:n jäsenvaltioiden puolesta Japanin asianomaisille viranomaisille esitettävän virallisen yhteydenoton ja siten yhtymään Uuteen-Seelantiin ja muihin kolmansiin maihin, jotka mahdollisesti liittyvät kyseiseen aloitteeseen; ja kehottamaan kaikkia jäsenvaltioita mahdollisuuksiensa mukaan olemaan paikalla EU:n edustuston kanssa esitettäessä virallinen yhteydenotto Japanin viranomaisille Tokiossa. 14908/15 js/vk/jk 2 DG E 1A LIMITE FI
LIITE TBC Addressee Full Address Tokyo, XX. XX 2015 Dear Minister/Dear Mr/Mrs XXXX, (depending on level of engagement) It is our honour to forward you a joint demarche by the Government of New Zealand, the European Union, its Member States [and the governments of XX, XY, countries], expressing our serious concerns regarding Japan resuming whaling in the Southern Ocean this 2015-2016 season, under the New Scientific Research Whale Program in the Antarctic Ocean ('NEWREP-A'). We are also copying this letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Environment. Yours Faithfully, Delegation of the European Union Ambassador of Luxembourg to the Government of Japan, on behalf of the EU Member States Embassy of country XX Embassy of country XY 14908/15 js/vk/jk 3
DEMARCHE ON THE GOVERNMENT OF JAPAN BY NEW ZEALAND, AND BY THE EUROPEAN UNION AND ITS MEMBER STATES [AND GOVERNMENT XX] We, the Governments of New Zealand [Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Republic of Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom, and the European Union] [and government XX], present our compliments to the Government of Japan and wish to take this opportunity to inform the Government of Japan of our serious concerns regarding its decision to resume whaling in the Southern Ocean this 2015/16 season, under the New Scientific Research Whale Program in the Antarctic Ocean ( NEWREP-A ). We recall the 2014 decision of the International Court of Justice, which held that Japan s Southern Ocean whaling programme, the Second Japanese Whale Research Program under Special Permit in the Antarctic ( JARPA II ) was not for purposes of scientific research under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling 1946, and was therefore unlawful. We further recall that the Court established several parameters for a programme for purposes of scientific research, pursuant to Article VIII of the Convention, that are relevant to the International Whaling Commission s consideration of special permit programmes. We recall the Court s expectation that Japan will take account of the reasoning and conclusions contained in the judgment as it evaluates the possibility of granting any future permits under Article VIII, paragraph 1, of the Convention. We note that Resolution 2014-5: Resolution on Whaling under Special Permit, adopted by the International Whaling Commission during its 65 th Annual Meeting in Slovenia in 2014, requested that no further special permits for the take of whales be issued under any existing or new programme of whale research until: (a) (b) the Scientific Committee has reviewed the research programme to enable it to provide advice to the Commission in accordance with the instructions set out in Resolution 2014-5; and the Commission has considered the report of the Scientific Committee and assessed whether the proponent of the special permit programme has acted in accordance with the review process set out in Resolution 2014-5; and 14908/15 js/vk/jk 4
(c) the Commission has, in accordance with Article VI of the Convention, made such recommendations on the merits or otherwise of the special permit programme as it sees fit. We recall that the Expert Panel of scientists that considered and reviewed NEWREP-A provided clear and unambiguous recommendations for additional work that it believed to be essential prior to a full review of the programme being conducted under Annex P and Resolution 2014-5. The Panel concluded that the NEWREP-A proposal did not demonstrate the need for lethal sampling to achieve the stated objectives. We note that the 66 th Annual Meeting of the Scientific Committee, held in June 2015, was unable to confirm that the Government of Japan had done enough to justify commencement of lethal sampling in the 2015/16 season. Therefore the need for lethal sampling has not been established through International Whaling Commission processes. Japan has failed to demonstrate that the research objectives of NEWREP-A are likely to lead to substantial improvements in conservation and management of whales or that lethal sampling is required to, or even could, achieve those objectives. It follows that Japan s justification for NEWREP-A is not sufficient to demonstrate that Japan has given due regard to the guidance found in the 2014 ICJ opinion on ensuring that lethal research whaling is consistent with the obligations under the Convention. We therefore reiterate our serious concerns regarding the decision of the Government of Japan to resume whaling in the 2015/16 season. We urge the Government of Japan, as a member of the International Whaling Commission, to respect the Commission s procedures and the advice of the Expert Panel and Scientific Committee. We consider that there is no scientific basis to include lethal methods in NEWREP-A. Accordingly we strongly request that the Government of Japan not issue a special permit to conduct whaling under NEWREP-A. [sign off] 14908/15 js/vk/jk 5