The European Union agreed on Thursday to take a unified stand against whaling ahead of a International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting this month, Reuters reported. The European Commission has been spearheading efforts to find a joint position, but as the 27-nation bloc is not yet a party to the IWC, it cannot negotiate on behalf of member states. Environment ministers meeting in Luxembourg adopted a common position based on support for the current moratorium on commercial whaling, the setting up of whale sanctuaries and encouraging the use of non-lethal methods to collect scientific data.
