The European Parliament adopted by 550 votes to 49, with 41 abstentions, a legislative resolution amending, under the first reading of the codecision procedure, the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning trade in seals products.
The amendments are the result of a compromise negotiated with the Council.
As part of the compromise, the placing on the market of seal products shall be allowed only where the seal products result from hunts traditionally conducted by Inuit and other indigenous communities and which contribute to their subsistence. These conditions shall apply at the time or point of import for imported products.
By way of derogation:
- the import of seal products shall also be allowed where it is of an occasional nature and consists exclusively of goods for the personal use of the travellers or their families. The nature and quantity of such goods may not be such as to indicate that they are being imported for commercial reasons;
- the placing on the market shall also be allowed for seal products that result from by-products of hunting that is regulated under national law and conducted for the sole purpose of sustainable management of marine resources. Such placing on the market shall only be allowed on a non-profit basis. The nature and quantity of such products shall not be such as to indicate that they are being placed on the market for commercial reasons.
A free movement clause provides that Member States shall not impede the placing on the market of seal products which comply with the provisions of this Regulation.
Member States shall send, by two years from the date of entry into force of this Regulation, and thereafter every four years, to the Commission a report outlining the actions taken to implement this Regulation.
The text recalls that in its resolution on 12 October 2006 on a Community Action Plan on the Protection and Welfare of Animals 2006-2010, the European Parliament called on the Commission to propose a total import ban on seal products.