14 Amendments of Daniel BUDA related to 2016/2076(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the protection of endangered animal and plant species is an issue of global interest, which requires cooperation between all nations, including those of the EU, particularly against the background of increasing international (and non-international) illegal trade in wild animals and plants and derived products in recent years;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas illicit wildlife trafficking is currently in third place on the list of illegal trade activities, and is exceeded only by the illegal trade in arms and drugs;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas the trade in wild animals and plants generates significant profits for criminal groups, with the figures being put at between EUR 8 and 20 billion;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas all Member States have signed the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and the EU accededbecame a party to the convention in 2015;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas an action plan at European level to address the issue of wildlife trafficking is an essential step forward; the trade in wild animals and plants is an essential step forward, and is a necessity given that Europe is currently a destination market and a hub for trafficking in transit to other regions, and moreover Europe is also a region from which certain species are sourced for illegal trade;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the EU Action Plan demonstrates that the EU is ready to live up to international expectations and commitments, and that it is raising the level of its ambition as regards action against the illegal trade in wild animals and plants;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the principle of effectiveness of public action requires the Member States to coordinate their actions if endangered species are to be protected successfully, and this can be achieved through a joint commitment by the EU and its Member States, in the form of an action plan, to taking a series of measures, implementing shared international commitments and acknowledging at a political level the importance of tackling the problem;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the Commission’s EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking and the fact that over the last decade the EU has been actively involved in combating the illegal trade in wildlife by adopting strict trade rules to end this type of trafficking;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Welcomes also the fact that the Action Plan makes a major contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals set under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development agreed by heads of state at a UN summit in September 2015;
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Considers that the EU needs to step up its common efforts to tackle wildlife trafficking, now that it is a party to the CITES convention, and would thus encourage it to establish solid partnerships with the countries on trafficking borders – source, destination and transit countries;
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Commission and the Member State authorities to step up their cooperation in the fight against wildlife trafficking, particularly between enforcement agencies, including police, customs, judicial, and sanitary and trade inspection authorities; considers it essential in this respect to take measures at national level to improve cooperation, coordination, communication and information flows between agencies by promoting the exchange of best practices at EU level;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Considers that all Member States should implement the international commitments they have made, to ensure that their laws on organised crime cover wildlife trafficking and that appropriate penalties can be imposed for this type of trafficking; at the same time, international cooperation on enforcement needs to be improved, through participation in international law enforcement operations, technical assistance and targeted financial support;
Amendment 58 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Considers that the fight against wildlife trafficking can be advanced by instruments of soft law; notes, however, that legislative action may be necessary in some cases in order to ensure legal certainly and to create binding rules; considers in this respect that the diplomatic tools of the EU and its Member States and other tools, notably EU trade policy, must be used more effectively in relations with key source, transit and destination countries and relevant regional organisations, with a view to strengthening the global partnership against wildlife trafficking;
Amendment 66 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission to take steps towards establishing common minimum ruland implementing minimum rules common to all EU Member States concerning the definition of criminal offences and sanctions relating to wildlife trafficking, pursuant to Article 83(1) TFEU.