The European Commission (EC), the executive arm of the European Union (EU), on Friday called on Iceland to reconsider its decision to resume commercial whaling.

"(EU) Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas and Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg regret, on behalf of the European Commission, that Iceland has decided to resume commercial whaling. The EU is strongly committed to the conservation of whales," said a statement issued by the EC.

"If it was simply a matter for the EU to decide, all commercial whaling would be abandoned once for all," said the statement.

Whales are a fragile component in the biological equilibrium of marine fauna, already threatened by the unwarranted resumption of whaling, and by other human activities, mainly pollution.

"Accordingly, the level of protection of whales in the EU is high and EU legislation bans commercial whaling," said the statement.

The EC said it strongly supports the general moratorium on whaling decided within the International Whaling Commission (IWC), which is fully implemented by the EU, and sees no valid reason for its termination.

"The EU is resolved to spare no efforts to ensure that whale species are effectively protected worldwide," said the statement.

Source: Xinhua