Greenland to sue over sealskin ban

Greenland plans to sue Belgium if “fanatics” manage to ban the import of sealskins, Josef Motzfeldt, Greenland’s foreign minister, said last week.

Motzfeldt said he’ll ask the European Commission to take legal action against Belgium for violating the law of the internal market if the proposed legislation passes.

“Belgian politicians are afraid of strong animal welfare activists and fanatics, and that will harm an innocent country,” Motzfeldt told Bloomberg News service. “If Belgium passes this law, many other EU countries might follow.”

Motzfeldt said even if sealskins from Greenland are exempt from the Belgian ban the ban will affect Greenland.

“Potential seal fur owners will again be afraid of attacks from extremists if they wear coats, no matter if they are Greenlandic or Canadian,” Motzfeldt said. “Seal hunting in Greenland is sustainable. The seals aren’t endangered and we don’t use the methods known from Canada.”

Greenland has set up a joint taskforce with Denmark to stop sealskin bans in the EU. Meanwhile, the Belgian ambassador to Denmark visited Greenland last week to discuss the sealskin ban with Greenland’s Home Rule, and Denmark said it hopes to resolve the issue through “close and confidential discussions between the relevant countries.”