The Government of the Faroes has initiated dispute settlement proceedings against the European Union under the World Trade Organization, in response to the EU’s economic measures regarding mackerel and herring.
The measures, introduced in August this year, ban imports of herring and mackerel products from the Faroe Islands into the EU and also deny access to EU ports by vessels transporting these products.
The Faroe Islands say that the measures implemented by the EU are “in clear contravention of basic provisions of the WTO Agreement” and that the coercive measures implemented by the EU against the Faroe Islands appear designed to protect EU industry interests, not to conserve the Atlanto-Scandian herring.
Prime Minister, Kaj Leo Holm Johannesen, said, “The EU is a major trading power while the Faroe Islands is very small indeed, with an economy and income heavily dependent upon fisheries, based on the export of fish products. When the EU takes unfair advantage of its position, it is crucial that the Faroe Islands has recourse to an international mechanism, such as the WTO’s dispute settlement procedures, in order to redress a situation which impairs our rights under the WTO Agreement.”
