Mr President, the issue we are dealing with has been occupying the European Parliament for years, although with low intensity. That is, there is a European Parliament Resolution from 1999 on the effects of military technology on the environment and, in relation to this specific issue, there are a couple of written questions to the Commission, the first presented by Mr Sturdy and replied to by Mr Busquin, which indicated that no aid had been requested for research into this issue, and the second, subsequently, by Mrs Caroline Lucas, replied to by Commissioner Wallström, on the effect of low-frequency sonar. Commissioner Wallström has agreed – or at least Mr Solbes now agrees with what she told us at the time – that this issue falls within the scope of the Habitats Directive. That is to say that the Community has some competence in this area, even though it is of a military nature. We must remember that at the moment the United States federal courts have issued a ban against the US Navy to prevent it from using high-power and low-frequency sonar in the Pacific Ocean, in order to prevent damage to marine fauna. As my predecessor, Mrs Korhola, pointed out, NATO military operations were carried out in 2002 with the participation of European Union ships in waters of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote and as a result 14 whales were beached. Studies have been carried out by two professors, one from the University of London, Mr Paul Jepson, and the other by Mr Fernández from the University of Las Palmas, published in ‘Nature’ magazine in November 2003, which highlight the effect of sonar operations on whales. They apparently produce disorientation in whales which makes them surface suddenly; this gives rise to the phenomenon of decompression, nitrogen accumulates in the whales’ blood and this produces the classic phenomenon of the bends. In other words, from a scientific point of view the connection is proven. We are talking about a species of small whales, similar to dolphins, beaked whales, which are in a very desperate situation and the question we are currently asking is what is this military technology for? Because the reason why the United States are developing this new low-frequency sonar is in order to detect silent submarines which only they manufacture. In other words, if no other country in the world currently has the technology to manufacture these silent submarines, what is the point in our ships, which belong to NATO and are linked to the United States Navy, developing this technology? Immediate damage is being done to these species. I believe that the Commissioner has replied correctly, but, in view of the scientific studies we already have and the existence of that European Parliament Resolution of 1999 – which the Commissioner knows about since he knows the waters I am talking about very well – I believe the time has come for the Commission to consider the possibility of taking initiatives which, within the context of maintaining the Commission’s competences, allow the Community institutions to deal with this issue. As the Commissioner knows, the European Union is currently heading towards some type of defence and security policy. At least it is already included in the Union Treaty, and I believe that, within the framework of this Union defence and security policy, we must also consider the negative effects of such a policy. I therefore hope that this first Commission statement will mark the start of a new Community policy and that, at least during the next legislature, this Parliament will receive some indication from the Commission about the direction we are taking. On the basis of the study in ‘Nature’ magazine by Professors Jepson and Fernández, I have the impression that, from a scientific point of view, the effects of this low-frequency sonar on the survival of cetacean species is clear. We now have to begin to recommend concrete measures, calling on the States, at least within the framework of intergovernmental cooperation, to take account of these conclusions in order to contribute to maintaining our already suffering marine fauna.

Political group: PSE