2016/2076(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Draft opinion
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 10 #

Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas the EU's participation as a legal entity in this species protection system cannot but confirm the prominent and responsible stance taken by the EU in promoting sustainability;

Amendment 11 #

Draft opinion
Recital C

C. whereas the EU continues to be one of the largest markets for illicit wildlife products – the demand for which is substantial – and whereas an action plan at European level tohas an essential role to play in addressing the issue of wildlife trafficking ~~is an essential step forward~~and the proceeds generated by criminal offences of that kind, especially transnationally, and in providing more effective means to combat this scourge, which constitutes nothing less than an assault on the rule of law and on the sustainable development of states and local communities in the places from where the products in question originate;

Amendment 12 #

Draft opinion
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 13 #

Draft opinion
Recital C

C. whereas an action plan at European level to address the issue of wildlife trafficking is an essential step forward, which must now be accompanied by effective complementary measures such as the training of forestry and customs corps and the introduction of effective penalties;

Amendment 14 #

Draft opinion
Recital C

C. whereas an action plan at European level to address the issue of wildlife trafficking is an essential step forward to formulating a complementary approach to dealing with illegal trafficking of endangered species throughout the EU Member States;

Amendment 15 #

Draft opinion
Recital C

C. whereas an action plan at European level to address the issue of wildlife trafficking is an essential step forward, given that revenue from the illegal trade in wild animals amounts to approximately US $22 billion worldwide;

Amendment 16 #

Draft opinion
Recital C

C. whereas an action plan at European level to address the issue of wildlife trafficking is a~~n essential step forward~~ valuable contribution to the collective effort;

Amendment 17 #

Draft opinion
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

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 19 #

Draft opinion
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, implying a need to make efficient use of existing resources and agencies while bringing exhaustive expert assessment and monitoring to bear on potential illicit activities;

Amendment 2 #

Draft opinion
Recital A

A. whereas biodiversity conservation has been playing a key role in European environmental policy-making and 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;

Amendment 20 #

Draft opinion
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 from illegal trafficking;

Amendment 21 #

Draft opinion
Recital D

D. whereas the principle of effectiveness of public action requires the Member States to coordinate their actions if endangered animal and plant species are to be protected successfully;

Amendment 22 #

Draft opinion
Recital E

~~E. whereas the principle of subsidiarity requires Member States to be free to choose the means of attaining the goal of protecting endangered animal and plant species;~~deleted

Amendment 23 #

Draft opinion
Recital E

E. whereas the principle of subsidiarity requires Member States to be free to choose the means of attaining the goal of protecting endangered animal and plant species; whereas the role of local authorities is particularly effective and necessary in this regard;

Amendment 24 #

Draft opinion
Recital F

Amendment 25 #

Draft opinion
Recital F

F. whereas, in view of the uniquely cross-border nature of wildlife trafficking offences, the EU should work towards establishing minimum rules concerning the definition and sanctioning of such offences, pursuant to Article 83(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and facilitating structured dialogue for enhanced regional cooperation in consultation with all relevant stakeholders and expert groups, such as customs, police and wildlife specialists;

Amendment 26 #

Draft opinion
Recital F

Amendment 27 #

Draft opinion
Recital F

F. whereas, in view of the uniquely cross-border nature of wildlife trafficking offences, the EU should work towards establishing minimum rules concerning the definition and sanctioning of such offences, pursuant to Article 83(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)Member States and the EU as a whole should work towards the implementation of already taken international commitments on combating wildlife trafficking and improvement of the cooperation with third countries and countries of origin;

Amendment 28 #

Draft opinion
Recital F

F. whereas, in view of the uniquely cross-border nature of wildlife trafficking offences, the EU should work towards establishing ~~minimum ru~~rules which are as harmonised as possibles concerning the definition and sanctioning of such offences, pursuant to Article 83(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU);

Amendment 29 #

Draft opinion
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 3 #

Draft opinion
Recital Α

Α. whereas the protection of endangered animal and plant species ~~is an~~and combating the illegal trade in these species are issues of global i~~nterest, which~~mportance and requires cooperation between all nations, including those of the EU;

Amendment 30 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. ~~Welcomes the Commission’s~~Points to the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking and stresses the need for further measures to be taken to fully tackle it;

Amendment 31 #

Draft opinion
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 32 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Welcomes the Conclusions of the Environmental Council of 20 June 2016 in relation to the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking;

Amendment 33 #

Draft opinion
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 34 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Considers that the EU and Member States needs to step up ~~its~~their common efforts to tackle wildlife trafficking, now that ithe EU is a party to the CITES convention, as well as to seek closer cooperation with third countries and countries of origin;

Amendment 35 #

Draft opinion
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, that entered into force on the 1st of July and is now protecting over 35000 species of animals and plants;

Amendment 36 #

Draft opinion
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, in particular by including this priority in the various commercial treaties it negotiates with third countries;

Amendment 37 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Considers that the EU needs to step up its common efforts to tackle environmental crime and wildlife trafficking in particular, now that it is a party to the CITES convention;

Amendment 38 #

Evelyn REGNER

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Urges the EU to take part in awareness-raising campaigns with stakeholders and civil society, not only in rural areas, but also on a global level to reduce the market for illegal wildlife products;

Amendment 39 #

Draft opinion
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 4 #

Draft opinion
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~~especially those of the EU;

Amendment 40 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Calls on the Commission and the Member State authorities to step up their cooperation in the fight against wildlife trafficking, particularly b~~etween~~y establishing coordinated cooperation between European and international agencies, as well as with enforcement agencies, including police, customs, judicial, and sanitary and trade inspection authorities, each exercising their specific responsibilities with a view to implementing measures on the ground;

Amendment 41 #

Draft opinion
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; in particular, calls for the setting up of joint enforcement priorities with Europol and Eurojust providing dedicated support for cross- border cases;

Amendment 42 #

Draft opinion
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~~;

Amendment 43 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

Amendment 44 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Calls on the Commission and the Member State authorities to step up their cooperation in the fight against cross- border wildlife trafficking, particularly between enforcement agencies, including police, customs, judicial, and sanitary and trade inspection authorities;

Amendment 45 #

Draft opinion
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 46 #

Evelyn REGNER

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Urges the Member States to provide legal assistance and guidance to national judiciaries, so they will have sufficient funds to combat wildlife crime;

Amendment 47 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

~~4. Agrees with the Commission that training activities are an essential part of the fight against organised crime, including wildlife trafficking;~~deleted

Amendment 48 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Agrees with the Commission that training activities are an essential part of the fight against organised crime, including wildlife trafficking, and also considers it essential to promote awareness raising and education focusing on environmental protection and the impacts brought about by trafficking in products obtained from wild fauna and flora;

Amendment 49 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Agrees with the Commission that training activities, notably targeting the judicial staff, are an essential part of the fight against organised crime, including wildlife trafficking; believes that this should be considered as allowing concrete enforcement of the United Nations Convention on transnational organised crime;

Amendment 5 #

Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)

Aa. whereas the April 2013 UN Commission on Crime, Prevention and Criminal Justice resolution, endorsed by the UN Economic and Social Council in July 2013, encourages its "Member States to make illicit trafficking in wild fauna and flora a serious crime when organized criminal groups are involved", thereby placing it on the same level as human trafficking and drug trafficking;

Amendment 50 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Agrees with the Commission that training activities are an essential part of the fight against organised crime, including wildlife trafficking; recognizes that more efforts should be done on a European level to facilitate the necessary resources in order to support struggling Member States in their efforts;

Amendment 51 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Agrees with the Commission that training activities are an essential part of the fight against organised crime, including wildlife trafficking; Recommends the creation of a monitoring system in order to determine the improvements and best practices aimed at stopping wildlife trafficking;

Amendment 52 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Agrees with the Commission that training activities are an essential part of the fight against organised crime, including wildlife trafficking; calls on the Commission, therefore, to consider introducing pilot projects targeted in particular at customs authorities and forestry corps;

Amendment 53 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Agrees with the Commission that training activities are an essential part of the fight against organised crime, including wildlife trafficking which now constitute one of the most widespread organised criminal activities;

Amendment 54 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Points to the urgent need to strengthen, and provide for better coordination of, measures to combat wildlife trafficking and the root causes thereof, involving not just countries of origin, but also transit and marketing countries, and intensifying dialogue and technical cooperation with the authorities and, above all, local communities in those countries;

Amendment 55 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to put all the necessary means in place to deter wildlife trafficking in countries of origin and of destination, notably through awareness campaigns targeting the consumers of the EU countries of destination of wildlife trafficking products;

Amendment 56 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Calls for a campaign at Member States level that should raise awareness amongst citizens to stop purchasing products that are the result of wildlife trafficking;

Amendment 57 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

Amendment 58 #

Draft opinion
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 59 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Considers that the fight against wildlife trafficking can be advanced by ~~instruments of soft law; notes, however,~~legislative action in order to ensure legal certainty and to create binding rules; notes that EU legislati~~ve action may be necessary in some cases in order to ensure legal certainly and to create binding rules;~~on laying down obligations for operators who place illegal products on the market and enabling to counter efficiently wildlife trafficking, already exists in the specific sector of timber 1b; __________________ 1bRegulation (EU) No 995/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 October 2010 laying down the obligations of operators who place timber and timber products on the market – also known as the (Illegal) Timber Regulation.

Amendment 6 #

Draft opinion
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 60 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Considers that the fight against wildlife trafficking can be advanced also 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~~, as well as by involving civil society;

Amendment 61 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Considers that the fight against wildlife trafficking can be advanced by instruments of soft law; notes, however, that ~~legislative action~~ the primary ~~be necessary in some cases in order to ensure legal certainly and to create binding rule~~focus should be on better and more efficient implementation of existing rules, regulations and agreements;

Amendment 62 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Considers that in the fight against wildlife trafficking ~~can be advanced by~~the instruments of soft law~~; notes, however,~~ have proven themselves to be insufficient; notes that legislative action may be necessary in some cases in order to ensure legal certainly and to create binding rules;

Amendment 63 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

Amendment 64 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

Amendment 65 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the Commission to take steps towards establishing common minimum rules concerning the definition of criminal offences and sanctions relating to wildlife trafficking, pursuant to Article 83(1) TFEU; to this effect, stresses that scaling up sanctions under the Directive on environment protection through criminal law 1a can help further approximate criminal sanctions in the field of wildlife trafficking throughout the EU. __________________ 1aDirective 2008/99/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 November 2008 on the protection of the environment through criminal law.

Amendment 66 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the Commission to take steps towards establishing ~~common minimum rul~~and 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.

Amendment 67 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the Commission to take steps towards establishing common ~~minimum ru~~rules, which are as harmonised as possibles, concerning the definition of criminal offences and sanctions relating to wildlife trafficking, pursuant to Article 83(1) TFEU.

Amendment 68 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Considers that the EU and Member States have not exhausted yet the full potential of the existing relevant international, European and national rules to combat wildlife trafficking and thus urges Member States to fully implement the provisions of Directive 2008/99/EC and set appropriate levels of sanctions for wildlife crime offences;

Amendment 69 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)

6b. Encourages Member States to ensure, in line with the resolution of April 2013 of the UN Commission on Crime, Prevention and Criminal Justice, that wildlife trafficking with the involvement of organised criminal groups is defined as a serious crime under the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime;

Amendment 7 #

Draft opinion
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 70 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 c (new)

6c. Welcomes, in this regard, the Commission's commitment, in line with the EU Agenda on Security, to start a review to assess the appropriateness and effectiveness of the EU policy and legislative framework for tackling environmental crime, particularly organised wildlife crime, and to address, in this context, the question of the criminal sanctions applicable to wildlife trafficking throughout the EU;

Amendment 71 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 d (new)

6d. Calls on the Commission and Member States to proceed with the timely and accurate implementation of the measures set in the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking, as well as to continuously monitor over its implementation;

Amendment 72 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 e (new)

6e. Stresses the need to properly monitor the implementation of the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking and keep the European Parliament and the Council regularly informed on the progress made and welcomes the commitment of the Commission to report to the European Parliament and the Council on the interim progress made in implementing the Action Plan, by 31 July 2018, as well as to conduct its overall evaluation by 2020.

Amendment 8 #

Draft opinion
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 ~~acceded~~became a party to the convention in 2015;

Amendment 9 #

Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas Directive 2008/99/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of the environment through criminal law harmonises the definitions for wildlife crime related offences and obliges Member States to provide, in their national legislation, for effective, proportionate and dissuasive criminal sanctions for serious breaches of Community legislation relating to conservation of the environment, including protected species of wild flora and fauna;

source: 587.424

2016/07/18 DEVE 64 amendments...

Amendment 1 #

Draft opinion
Recital A

A. whereas around 70% of the world’s poor live in rural areas and depend directly on biological diversity for their livelihoods; whereas the protection of biodiversity is therefore important for sustainable livelihoods and pro-poor development; whereas conversely, the involvement of local communities can be crucial for success in such protection;

Amendment 10 #

Draft opinion
Recital B

B. whereas ~~wildlife protection can, however, have a considerable price for local communities, as some species are dangerous to human~~conflict between people and animals, which result from loss of habitats and growing needs of humans, constitutes a major threat to the continued survival of many species in different parts of the world; whereas forest loss cand de~~stroy plantations and other property or kill livestock~~gradation is mostly caused by the expansion of agricultural land, intensive harvesting of timber, wood for fuel and other forest products, as well as overgrazing; whereas wild species which come into contact with humans are often killed or captured; whereas confronting armed poachers can be utterly risky;

Amendment 11 #

Draft opinion
Recital B

B. whereas wildlife protection can, however, have a considerable price for local communities, as ~~some species are dangerous to humans or can destroy plantations and other property or kill livestock; whereas~~ confronting armed poachers can be utterly risky;

Amendment 12 #

Draft opinion
Recital B

B. whereas ~~wildlife protection~~the protection of wildlife and endangered species can, however, have a considerable price for local communities, as some species are dangerous to humans or can destroy plantations and other property or kill livestock; whereas confronting armed poachers can be utterly risky;

Amendment 13 #

Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas elephants and rhinoceros are most prominent among the animals being killed to feed rising demand for their tusks and horns across the world; whereas poachers may be driven by poverty or are exploited by criminal organisations seeking to recruit hunters with knowledge of the local terrain;

Amendment 14 #

Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)

Amendment 15 #

Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas wildlife trafficking is not a new phenomenon, but its scale, nature and impacts have changed considerably in recent years, with poaching reaching unprecedented levels for some species

Amendment 16 #

Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)

Ba. recognises the intrinsic value of biological diversity and its various contributions to sustainable development and human well-being as enriched in Goal 15 of Agenda 2030;

Amendment 17 #

Draft opinion
Recital B b (new)

Bb. whereas wildlife crime, is a serious transnationally organised criminal business worldwide, with an annual turnover of at least USD 19 billion, and is now the fourth largest illegal activity in the world, with devastating effects for biodiversity and negative impact on the rule of law due to its close links with corruption; notably in some regions in Africa, it has a very negative impact on the potential for economic development

Amendment 18 #

Draft opinion
Recital B b (new)

Bb. is concerned about the increasing scale of poaching and illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products and its adverse economic, social and environmental impacts; believes that the fight against poaching requires a EU coordinated response and assistance to countries with limited capacity to protect wildlife; considers the EU can play an extended role in protecting and maintaining wildlife reserves projects in developing countries;

Amendment 19 #

Draft opinion
Recital B b (new)

Bb. whereas illegal wildlife trade involves poachers, armed non-state actors from source countries, international crime groups and institutional corruption across global network chains and a range of players involved in demand countries; whereas wildlife trafficking fuels instability and undermines security;

Amendment 2 #

Draft opinion
Recital A

Amendment 20 #

Draft opinion
Recital B b (new)

Amendment 21 #

Draft opinion
Recital B c (new)

Bc. whereas the EU has an important role to play in tackling this traffic, as Europe is currently a destination market and a hub for trafficking in transit to other regions; it is also a region from which certain species are sourced for illegal trade

Amendment 22 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 (new)

-1. Recalls that biodiversity and resilient ecosystems support livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, enable access to water and to health and contribute significantly to climate change mitigation and adaptation; accordingly, deems crucial to protect biodiversity and ecosystem services to ensure sustainable livelihoods contribute to poverty reduction worldwide;

Amendment 23 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Stresses that EUs Policy Coherence strategy enshrined in the Treaties has to take duly account of wildlife protection and underlines the critical role of biodiversity in Sustainable Development Goals and supports the B4Life flagship initiative on biodiversity protection, implemented in particular via the European Development Fund and the Development Cooperation Instrument, as well as objective 1.2 of the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking relating to rural communities; calls on the Commission to ensure that relevant actions are consistent with the fundamental poverty reduction objective of EU development policy, sustainable forestry policies, reflect the potential of local communities to contribute to wildlife protection, and include creative solutions, adapted to local conditions, to human- wildlife conflicts, impact on food security, natural habitat and ecosystems;

Amendment 24 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Supports the B4Life flagship initiative on biodiversity protection, implemented in particular via the European Development Fund and the Development Cooperation Instrument, as well as objective 1.2 of the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking - which could constitute a threat to the survival and preservation of such wildlife - relating to rural communities; calls on the Commission to ensure that relevant actions are consistent with the fundamental poverty reduction objective of EU development policy, reflect the potential of local communities to contribute to wildlife protection, and include creative solutions, adapted to local conditions, to human- wildlife conflicts;

Amendment 25 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Supports the B4Life flagship initiative on biodiversity protection, implemented in particular via the European Development Fund and the Development Cooperation Instrument, as well as objective 1.2 of the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking relating to rural communities; calls on the Commission to ensure that relevant actions are consistent with the fundamental poverty reduction objective of EU development policy, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goal 15, reflect the potential of local communities to contribute to wildlife protection, and include creative solutions, adapted to local conditions, to human-wildlife conflicts;

Amendment 26 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Supports the B4Life flagship initiative on biodiversity protection, implemented in particular via the European Development Fund and the Development Cooperation Instrument, as well as objective 1.2 of the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking relating to rural communities; calls on the Commission to ensure that relevant actions are consistent with the fundamental poverty reduction objective of EU development policy~~, reflect the potential of local communities to contribute to wildlife protection, and include creative solutions, adapted to local conditions, to human-wildlife conflicts~~; in particular, calls on the EU to promote income-generating activities in the protected areas and their buffer zones (i.e. through sustainable tourism) and to strengthen local capacities accordingly;

Amendment 27 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Calls the European Commission and the Council to leverage their trade and development instruments to establish dedicated programmes to strengthen the implementation of CITES and provide resources for capacity-building against poaching and trafficking, in particular by supporting, strengthening and expanding enforcement initiatives such as ASEAN- WEN (ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network), HA-WEN (horn of Africa Wildlife enforcement Network), LATF (Lusaka Agreement Task Force), which aim to establish regional centres of expertise and provide models for cooperation against wildlife crime;

Amendment 28 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Recalls that a large part of the problems faced in the EU in relation to wildlife trafficking is caused by poor implementation by EU Member States of relevant EU laws; urges the EU Member States and all other relevant actors to implement the EU Action Plan against Wildlife trafficking by the indicated timelines, in accordance with the conclusions on this Action Plan adopted by the Council on 20 June 2016;

Amendment 29 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Takes the view that wildlife and forest crime should be treated with the same attention as any other transnational organised crime; consequently, law enforcement should not limit itself to poachers, but target as well the higher echelons of organised crime;

Amendment 3 #

Draft opinion
Recital A

A. whereas the protection of biodiversity is important for sustainable livelihoods and pro-poorest development; whereas conversely, the involvement of local communities can be crucial for success in such protection;

Amendment 30 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Considers that the wealth of Africa’s populations is largely dependent on its wildlife and rural poverty is a fundamental element of poaching at the field level;

Amendment 31 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1b. Urges governments of the supply countries to: (i) improve the rule of law and create effective deterrents by strengthening criminal investigation, prosecution and sentencing; (ii) enact stronger laws treating illicit wildlife trafficking as a ‘serious crime’ deserving the same level of attention and gravity as other forms of transnational organised crime; (iii) allocate more resources to combating wildlife crime, particularly to strengthen wildlife law enforcement, trade controls, monitoring, and customs detection and seizure; (iv) to commit to a zero-tolerance policy on corruption;

Amendment 32 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1b. Believes that NGOs can play an important role in monitoring enforcement and reporting on wildlife crime; calls for further support of NGOs, given the limited capacity of local public authorities in these fields;

Amendment 33 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1b. Stresses that the wildlife protection, mostly targeted on conservation of ecosystems and landscapes supporting main African wildlife populations, must be a key element in EU poverty reduction strategies;

Amendment 34 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)

1c. Stresses that collective interventions at the global level are needed to counter wildlife crime, including its financial dimension through international cooperation on anti-money laundering; stresses equally the need to launch awareness-raising campaigns to curb the demand for wildlife products;

Amendment 35 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)

1c. Stresses that the Action Plan is destined to fail if not adequately financed; considers that financial resources to ensure implementation of the plan must be identified in the budget of the EU and of each Member State and that human resources should also be clearly allocated;

Amendment 36 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)

1c. Strongly supports ongoing legal reforms in concerned countries that allow for the devolution of rights ownership over wildlife to local people;

Amendment 37 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 d (new)

1d. Recalls that biodiversity and resilient ecosystems support livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, enable access to water and to health and contribute significantly to climate change mitigation and adaptation; accordingly, deems crucial to protect biodiversity and ecosystem services to ensure sustainable livelihoods contribute to poverty reduction worldwide;

Amendment 38 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 d (new)

1d. Urges supply, transit and demand countries to deepen their levels of cooperation to combat illegal wildlife trade along the entire chain; to this end, calls equally for increased cooperation between i.e. INTERPOL, World Customs Organisation, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC);

Amendment 39 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 e (new)

1e. Calls on the EU to upgrade its financial and technical support through DCI and EDF in developing countries to implement national wildlife regulations in line with CITES recommendations, particularly for those with insufficient resources to enforce legislation and prosecute smugglers;

Amendment 4 #

Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)

Aa. whereas global biodiversity and ecosystem services are under threat due to land use changes, unsustainable use of natural resources, pollution and climate change; in particular, whereas many endangered species face greater challenges than before owing to rapid urbanisation, loss of habitat and illegal wildlife trade;

Amendment 40 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 e (new)

1e. Takes the view that wildlife and forest crime should be treated with the same attention as any other transnational organised crime; consequently, law enforcement should not limit itself to poachers, but target as well the higher echelons of organised crime;

Amendment 41 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 f (new)

1f. Urges governments of the supply countries to: (i) improve the rule of law and create effective deterrents by strengthening criminal investigation, prosecution and sentencing; (ii) enact stronger laws treating illicit wildlife trafficking as a ‘serious crime’ deserving the same level of attention and gravity as other forms of transnational organised crime; (iii) allocate more resources to combating wildlife crime, particularly to strengthen wildlife law enforcement, trade controls, monitoring, and customs detection and seizure; (iv) to commit to a zero-tolerance policy on corruption;

Amendment 42 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 g (new)

1g. Stresses that collective interventions at the global level are needed to counter wildlife crime, including its financial dimension through international cooperation on anti-money laundering; stresses equally the need to launch awareness-raising campaigns to curb the demand for wildlife products;

Amendment 43 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 h (new)

1h. Urges supply, transit and demand countries to deepen their levels of cooperation to combat illegal wildlife trade along the entire chain; to this end, calls equally for increased cooperation between i.e. INTERPOL, World Customs Organisation, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC);

Amendment 44 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 i (new)

1i. Calls on the EU to upgrade its financial and technical support through DCI and EDF in developing countries to implement national wildlife regulations in line with CITES recommendations, particularly for those with insufficient resources to enforce legislation and prosecute smugglers;

Amendment 45 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Underlines that poverty and weak administrations enable criminals to corrupt poorly paid officials of enforcement authorities; Stresses the need to responsibly manage the risks associated with combating poaching, which is often perpetrated by heavily armed and well- organised criminal groups; highlights that widespread corruption, institutional weakness, state erosion, mismanagement and weak penalties for wildlife crime are major challenges to address to combat effectively transnational wildlife trafficking; urges the EU to support developing countries in their efforts to reduce poaching incentives by improving economic opportunities and promoting good governance; providing training and support to agencies addressing the illegal wildlife trade; and raising awareness of the illegal trade in wildlife;

Amendment 46 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

Amendment 47 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Stresses the need to responsibly manage the risks associated with combating poaching, which is often perpetrated by heavily armed and well- organised criminal groups; calls on the Commission to conduct a review of the environmental crime directive in particular criminal sanctions for wildlife trafficking and calls on the EU Institutions, Members States and all the States involved to more systematically investigate of the links between wildlife trafficking and regional conflict or terrorism, pending outcomes of the forthcoming UNODC report;

Amendment 48 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. SRecognises that illicit trafficking in wildlife contributes to damage to ecosystems and rural livelihood, including those based on ecotourism, undermines good governance and the rule of law and, in some cases, threatens national stability; stresses the need to responsibly manage the risks associated with combating poaching, which is often perpetrated by heavily armed and well- organised criminal groups;

Amendment 49 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Stresses the need to responsibly manage the risks associated with combating poaching, which is often perpetrated by heavily armed and well- organised criminal groups; as well as the need for targeted awareness-raising amongst specialists on organised crime and money laundering;

Amendment 5 #

Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)

Amendment 50 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Stresses the need to responsibly manage the risks associated with combating poaching~~, which is often~~ and the trade in wild species, which are usually perpetrated by heavily armed and well- organised criminal groups;

Amendment 51 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Emphasises that there should be a long term anti-corruption strategy and that the capacity to investigate in an effective way allegations of complicity at Government level should be increased; emphasises that this could, as a last resort, lead to sanctions at the EU and wider international level;

Amendment 52 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Calls for actions that enable local actors to directly benefit from engaging in wildlife protection, reduce the costs of living with wildlife, and, in parallel with measures to discourage illicit wildlife- related activities, improve possibilities of earning a living without such involvement; calls on the Commission, therefore, to consider introducing pilot projects targeted in particular at training and support for customs authorities and forestry corps in third countries within the framework of cooperation agreements;

Amendment 53 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Calls for actions that enable local actors to directly benefit from engaging in wildlife protection, reduce the costs of living with wildlife, and, in parallel with measures to discourage illicit wildlife- related activities, improve possibilities of earning a living without such involvement; calls in particular for this priority to be included in the various trade and cooperation agreements negotiated with third countries;

Amendment 54 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Calls for actions that enable local actors to directly benefit from engaging in wildlife protection, ~~reduce the costs of living with wildlife,~~ and, in parallel with measures to discourage illicit wildlife- related activities, improve possibilities of earning a living without such involvement;

Amendment 55 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Believes that the private sector should be encouraged to act as role model, both within and outside EU territory, through a Code of Conduct condemning the consumption of illegal wildlife products;

Amendment 56 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Calls for support for private-sector initiatives in order to curb the illegal wildlife trade and encourage sustainable sourcing of wildlife products in/from Europe

Amendment 57 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3b. Calls, in implementing the EU Action Plan, for closer and constructive cooperation between stakeholders, including civil society organisations and relevant business sectors to make more effective use of existing tools and policies and strengthen the synergies between them in order to ensure maximum impact in addressing wildlife trafficking across the EU and globally;

Amendment 58 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Calls for a step change in intelligence-gathering, lawmaking and law enforcement in relation to wildlife trafficking in EU Member States and other destination and transit countries. and hence requests the Commission to award utmost attention to these facets of administration and monitoring of the enforcement of international standards in relation to wildlife trafficking;

Amendment 59 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Calls for a step change in intelligence-gathering, lawmaking and law enforcement, fighting corruption, in relation to wildlife trafficking in EU Member States and other destination and transit countries.

Amendment 6 #

Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)

Aa. whereas the EU’s participation as a legal entity in this species protection system cannot but confirm the prominent and responsible stance taken by the EU in promoting sustainability;

Amendment 60 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Underlines that the inclusion of a sustainable development chapter in every new trade agreement should be made mandatory; considers that legal and sustainable trade can bring positive contributions to sustainable development and to communities; believes that the EU must act at international level to support third countries in fighting wildlife trafficking and contribute to the further evolution of relevant law through bilateral and multilateral agreements;

Amendment 61 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Calls for reinforced international accountability mechanisms and for urgent policy and legal improvements to stop the trafficking and the demand for wildlife and forest products; law enforcement should not limit itself to poachers but target as well the higher echelons of organised crime;

Amendment 62 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4b. Calls for a detailed annual report monitoring and evaluating implementation progress, including a mechanism similar to the scorecard which was used for monitoring progress towards completion of the Natura 2000 Network;

Amendment 63 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4b. Stresses that the harmonisation of policies and legal frameworks is particularly important with respect to wildlife crime in order to avoid the ‘migration’ of wildlife criminal networks;

Amendment 64 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)

4c. Urges EU and all its Member States to expand support for international trade regulation and to definitely close domestic ivory markets and destroy any stockpiles of ivory;

Amendment 7 #

Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)

Aa. Points out that natural resource management practices and illegal trade closely linked to governance and security constraints form the third-biggest type of international crime;

Amendment 8 #

Draft opinion
Recital A b (new)

Ab. Points out that the roots of most conflicts lie in the exploitation of natural wealth or the illegal trade in animals, which endangers local communities, biodiversity and flora and fauna;

Amendment 9 #

Draft opinion
Recital B

source: 585.605

2016/09/05 INTA 44 amendments...

Amendment 1 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking which will play a crucial role in combating the alarming rise in the illegal trade in wildlife; underlines, in particular, Priority 2 concerning the implementation and enforcement of the relevant existing rules and legal frameworks; considers that the EU’s participation as a legal entity in this species protection system may confirm the prominent and responsible stance taken by the EU in promoting sustainability as well as in the more equitable regulation of global trade;

Amendment 10 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1b. Calls on the Commission to consider a wider use of import bans in the framework of Regulation (EU) No 338/97, notably in the case of elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn;

Amendment 11 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Calls for the better use of existing resources, the use of up-to-date technology and adequate training for customs authorities in source, transit and destination countries, especially developing countries, in order to successfully combat the illegal trade in wildlife; calls on the Commission, therefore, to consider introducing pilot projects targeted in particular at training and support for customs authorities and forestry corps in third countries within the framework of trade and economic cooperation agreements;

Amendment 12 #

Daniel CASPARY

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Calls for the better use of existing resources, the use of up-to-date technology and adequate training for customs authorities in source, transit and destination countries, especially developing countries, in order to successfully combat the illegal trade in wildlife; notes in this connection that the close linkage between the lucrative illegal trade in wildlife species and international terrorism also calls for well-coordinated cooperation between police and customs authorities at global level;

Amendment 13 #

Tiziana BEGHIN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Calls for the better use of existing resources, the use of up-to-date technology ~~and~~, adequate training for customs authorities in source, transit and destination countries, especially developing countries, ~~in order to successfully combat the illegal trade in wildlife~~a stronger international cooperation and public- private partnerships in order to successfully combat the illegal trade in wildlife, in particular expanding ivory trade controls, closing existing loopholes and finding common sanctions with EU trade partners;

Amendment 14 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Calls for the better use of existing resources, the use of up-to-date technology and adequate training for customs authorities in source, transit and destination countries, especially developing countries, in order to successfully combat the illegal trade in wildlife; considers that the customs dimension should be further emphasized within the action plan both with regard to cooperation with partner countries as well as uniform implementation within the Union;

Amendment 15 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

Amendment 16 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

Amendment 17 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Calls for resource allocation toward critical capacity building efforts in source, transit and destination countries – such as training, public outreach, establishment and maintenance of wildlife rescue centres and ecotourism programmes.

Amendment 18 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Notes that corruption is one of the main enablers and contributors to the trade in illegal wildlife and wildlife products; welcomes the commitment made in the Commission strategy entitled ‘Trade for All’ to include ambitious anti-corruption provisions in all future trade agreements; requests the Commission therefore to pay the utmost attention to the facets of administration and monitoring of the enforcement of international standards in relation to wildlife trafficking;

Amendment 19 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Notes that corruption is one of the main enablers and contributors to the trade in illegal wildlife and wildlife products; welcomes the commitment made in the Commission strategy entitled ‘Trade for All’ to include ambitious ~~anti-corruption provisions~~provisions to tackle the direct and indirect impact of corruption and wildlife trafficking in all future trade agreements;

Amendment 2 #

Tiziana BEGHIN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking which will play a crucial role in combating the alarming rise in the illegal trade in wildlife which destabilizes economies and communities that depend on wildlife for their livelihoods, threatens peace and security of fragile regions of EU trade partners by strengthening illicit routes; underlines, in particular, Priority 2 concerning the implementation and enforcement of the relevant existing rules and legal frameworks;

Amendment 20 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Notes that corruption is one of the main enablers and contributors to the trade in illegal wildlife and wildlife products; ~~welcom~~notes the commitment made in the Commission strategy entitled ‘Trade for All’ to include ambitious anti-corruption provisions in all ~~future~~ trade agreements;

Amendment 21 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Notes that legal trade in wildlife can contribute to incomes in developing countries, especially in rural areas; calls for measures promoting legal and environmentally sustainable wildlife trade as a tool for promoting economic development and biodiversity;

Amendment 22 #

Emma McCLARKIN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Recognises that in stemming the illegal trade in wildlife, the Action Plan positively curtails the financing of criminal and terrorist organisations and in doing so helps to reinforce the rule of law and contribute to stable and secure nations;

Amendment 23 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Welcomes the inclusion of provisions ensuring the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity in the trade and sustainable development chapter of the EU-Vietnam free trade agreement (FTA) and insists on including wildlife protection provisions in all future EU FTAs, including, but not limited to, those with the US and Japan; stresses the importance of making the commitments of trade and sustainable development chapters enforceable by submitting them to the main dispute settlement mechanism of FTAs; calls on the Commission to include the analysis of these provisions in its implementation reports;

Amendment 24 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Welcomes the inclusion of provisions ensuring the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity in the EU-Vietnam free trade agreement (FTA) and insists on including enforceable wildlife protection provisions in all future EU FTAs, including, but not limited to, those with the US ~~and Japan~~, Japan and ASEAN countries; calls on the Commission to include the analysis of these provisions in its implementation reports as well as to emphasize reporting on implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in the context of the GSP+ scheme;

Amendment 25 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Welcomes the inclusion of provisions ensuring the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity in the EU-Vietnam free trade agreement (FTA) and insists on including wildlife protection provisions ~~in all future~~and provisions to combat the illegal trade in wildlife in all EU FTAs, including, but not limited to, those with the US and Japan; calls on the Commission to include the analysis of these provisions in its implementation reports;

Amendment 26 #

Frédérique RIES

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

Amendment 27 #

Tiziana BEGHIN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

Amendment 28 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Calls on the Commission to consider funding under the Partnership Instrument for initiatives aimed at reducing demand for illicit wildlife products in key markets in line with Priority 1 of the Action Plan; highlights that civil society involved in the monitoring structures under the trade and sustainable development chapters of EU trade agreements can make significant contributions in this regard;

Amendment 29 #

Frédérique RIES

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Stresses the importance of addressing, in the context of the EU- China Strategic Partnership, the sensitive issue of the growing demand for wildlife products, such as elephant ivory, rhinoceros horn and tiger bones, which represents a real threat to the conservation of these species and to biodiversity in general;

Amendment 3 #

Emma McCLARKIN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking which will play a crucial role in combating the alarming rise in the illegal trade in wildlife; underlines, in particular, Priority 2 concerning the implementation and enforcement of the relevant existing rules and legal frameworks; looks forward to the Commission's 2016 review of their functioning and requests this review include an assessment of customs procedures;

Amendment 30 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Highlights the importance of ensuring the private sector’s involvement in the fight against wildlife trafficking~~, considering the role played by e- commerce platforms, distribution networks, transport and courier companies~~;

Amendment 31 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Highlights the importance of ensuring the private sector’s involvement in the fight against wildlife trafficking, considering the role played by e-commerce platforms, distribution networks, transport and courier companies; considers that Regulation (EU) No 338/97 should be updated in order to better address risks related to e-commerce and online and off- line commercial advertising;

Amendment 32 #

Emma McCLARKIN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Highlights the importance of ensuring the private sector’'s involvement in the fight against wildlife trafficking, considering the role played by e-commerce platforms, distribution networks, transport and courier companies; welcomes emerging collaborative zero tolerance approaches between wildlife trade experts and logistics companies;

Amendment 33 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Highlights the importance of ensuring the private sector’'s involvement in the fight against wildlife trafficking, considering the role played by e-commerce platforms, distribution networks, transport and courier companies but emphasizes that appropriate guidance must be issued to private sector actors;

Amendment 34 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Highlights the importance of ensuring the private sector’s involvement in the fight against wildlife trafficking, considering the role ~~played by~~and impact of e- commerce platforms, distribution networks, transport and courier companies;

Amendment 35 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Stresses the importance of effective and efficient labelling and traceability systems, as a guarantee of the legality and sustainability of trade in wildlife;

Amendment 36 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the EU to explore, within the scope of the WTO framework, how global trade and environmental regimes can better support each other~~, especially in the light of the Trade Facilitation Agreement, which opens new avenues for cooperation between customs, wildlife and trade officials, especially in developing countries.~~;

Amendment 37 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the EU to explore, within the scope of the WTO framework, how global trade and environmental regimes can better support each other, especially in the light of the Trade Facilitation Agreement, which opens new avenues for cooperation between customs, wildlife and trade officials, especially in developing countries. In addition, further opportunities for cooperation between the WTO and CITES should be explored in particular in offering technical assistance and capacity building on trade and environment to officials from developing countries.

Amendment 38 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the EU to explore, within the scope of the WTO framework, how global trade and environmental regimes can better support each other, especially in the light of the Trade Facilitation Agreement, which opens new avenues for cooperation between customs, wildlife and trade officials, especially in developing countries. ; calls in particular for the priority of sustainability to be included as a strategic element in all new trade and cooperation agreements negotiated with third countries;

Amendment 39 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the EU to explore, within the scope of the WTO framework, how global trade and environmental regimes can better support each other, especially in the context of ongoing work on strengthening coherence between the WTO and Multilateral Environmental Agreements, as well as in the light of the Trade Facilitation Agreement, which opens new avenues for cooperation between customs, wildlife and trade officials, especially in developing countries.

Amendment 4 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking which will play a crucial role in combating the alarming rise in the illegal trade in wildlife; underlines, in particular, that the EU remains a significant destination market and transit route for illicit wildlife products; notes Priority 2 concerning the implementation and enforcement of the relevant existing rules and legal frameworks;

Amendment 40 #

Anne-Marie MINEUR

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Is worried that Commissioner Malmström intends to address wildlife issues only via free trade agreements, as is clear from the Trade4All document; calls on the Commission to organise the fight against wildlife trafficking through a broad range of trade measures;

Amendment 41 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Calls on the Commission to engage with partners in the context of CITES and elsewhere to ensure traceability of wildlife products as many trophies resulting from deplorable poaching activities leave the black market and end up introduced into legal commercial streams;

Amendment 42 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)

6b. Strongly urges the EU to oppose the current proposal to remove the existing annotations on elephant ivory from Namibia and Zimbabwe at the upcoming CITES COP17 which would make it commercially tradable and to support the proposal to include all African elephants in Appendix I;

Amendment 43 #

Anne-Marie MINEUR

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)

6b. Recognises that China plays an important role in wildlife trafficking, mainly as a sales market; calls on the Commission to take this into account in its trade relations with China;

Amendment 44 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 c (new)

6c. Calls on the Commission to consider proposals for limiting the imports of ivory and rhino horn into the EU including a possible ban on ivory and rhino horn products which should comply both with EU internal market and WTO rules.

Amendment 5 #

Frédérique RIES

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking which will play a ~~crucial~~n important role in combating the alarming rise in the highly lucrative illegal trade in wildlife, which generates an estimated annual income of between 8 and 20 billion euros; underlines, in particular, Priority 2 concerning the implementation and enforcement of the relevant existing rules and legal frameworks;

Amendment 6 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking which will play a crucial role in combating the alarming rise in the illegal trade in wildlife; underlines, in particular, Priorityies 1 and 2 concerning the prevention of wildlife trafficking and implementation and enforcement of the relevant existing rules and legal frameworks;

Amendment 7 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. ~~Welcomes~~Notes its satisfaction with the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking which ~~will play a crucial role in~~is intended to combat~~ing~~ the alarming rise in the illegal trade in wildlife; underlines, in particular, Priority 2 concerning the implementation and enforcement of the relevant existing rules and legal frameworks;

Amendment 8 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Calls on the Commission to revise the Council Regulation (EU) No 338/97 on the protection of species of wild fauna and flora by regulating trade therein with a view to preventing the import, trade and re-export of species that are not yet included in the CITES Convention's Appendices or in the Regulation's Annexes, but that are already protected in the countries of origin and covered by relevant internationally-recognised lists of endangered species and other international conventions; additionally, is of the view that transit should also be regulated by means of prohibitions or authorisations;

Amendment 9 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Emphasizes the principle of policy coherence for development in order for the Common Commercial Policy to make a significant contribution in the Union's action against Wildlife Trafficking both as a tool to underpin efforts directly related to the action plan and to create overall conditions conducive to preserving biodiversity, particularly by creating alternative revenue options for people living in rural areas in partner countries affected by poaching;

source: 587.528

2016/09/09 ENVI 188 amendments...

Amendment 1 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 5

— having regard to ~~Council Decision 2008/801/EC of 25 September 2008 on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Community, of the~~the 2003 United Nations Convention against Corruption3, __________________ 3 OJ L 287, 29.10.2008, p. 1.

Amendment 10 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 15 b (new)

— having regard to the Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora,

Amendment 100 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 c (new)

10c. Notes the inclusion of illegal wildlife trade in the EU Agenda for Security 2015 -2020 which recognises that the illegal trade in wildlife threatens biodiversity in source regions, sustainable development and regional stability;

Amendment 101 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Underlines the need for inter- agency cooperation and calls on the Member States to provide ~~Euro~~the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) with continuous and relevant intelligence and data; urges ~~Euro~~Interpol to consider large-scale, organised wildlife crime in the next ~~EU Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment (SOCTA); calls for~~annual meeting of its general assembly; advocates the establishment of a specialised Wildlife Crime Unit within ~~Euro~~Interpol, with transnational powers and responsibilities and sufficient financial and human resources, enabling centralised information and analysis and coordinated enforcement strategies and investigations;

Amendment 102 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Underlines the need for inter- agency cooperation and calls on the Member States to provide Europol with continuous and relevant intelligence and data; urges Europol to consider wildlife crime in the next EU Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment (SOCTA); calls for the establishment of a specialised Wildlife Crime Unit within Europol, with transnational powers and responsibilities and sufficient specialist, material, financial and human resources, enabling centralised information and analysis and coordinated enforcement strategies and investigations;

Amendment 103 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. ~~Underlines the need for inter- agency cooperation and c~~Calls on the Member States to provide Europol with continuous and relevant intelligence and data; urges Europol to consider wildlife crime in the next EU Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment (SOCTA); calls for the establishment of a specialised Wildlife Crime Unit within Europol, with transnational powers and responsibilities and sufficient financial and human resources, enabling centralised information and analysis and coordinated enforcement strategies and investigations;

Amendment 104 #

Sirpa PIETIKÄINEN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Notes the links between wildlife crime and other forms of organised crime, including money laundering, and considers the combating of illicit financial flows to be a priority; ~~calls for the EU to use all relevant instruments, including cooperation with the financial sector~~is especially concerned of the impact that 'banking on extinction', or the buying of products in the hope that the concerned species will soon be extinct, might have on the protection of endangered wildlife; calls for the EU to cooperate more closely with the financial sector and carry out further research on whether emerging financial products and technologies such as bitcoin play an enabling role and should be therefore prohibited;

Amendment 105 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Notes the links between wildlife crime and other forms of organised crime, including smuggling of pets and particularly money laundering, and considers the combating of illicit financial flows to be a priority; calls for the EU to use all relevant instruments, including cooperation with the financial sector;

Amendment 106 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Notes the links between wildlife crime and other forms of organised crime, including money laundering, and the financing of militias and terrorist groups, and considers the combating of illicit financial flows to be a priority; calls for the EU to use all relevant instruments, including cooperation with the financial sector;

Amendment 107 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Notes the links between wildlife crime and other forms of organised crime, including money laundering and the funding of armed conflicts, and considers the combating of illicit financial flows to be a priority; calls for the EU to use all relevant instruments, including cooperation with the financial sector;

Amendment 108 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

Amendment 109 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Calls on the Commission to develop guidelines on how to tackle the phenomenon of illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products via the Internet, as adopted in the Council conclusions of 20 June 2016;

Amendment 11 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 a (new)

— having regard to the network Natura 2000, which involves core breeding and resting sites for rare and threatened species, and some rare natural habitat types which are protected in their own right,

Amendment 110 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)

12b. Calls on the Member States and the European Commission to engage in collaboration with social network platforms, search engines and e- commerce platforms to combat the illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products via the Internet, and to involve them in the development of policies to combat potential illegal activities;

Amendment 111 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Calls on the Commission to ~~review~~make an assessment on the current implementation of Directive 2008/99/EC on the protection of the environment through criminal law throughout Member States, especially in terms of foreseen and imposed penalties, creating appropriate guidelines and recommendations for its better use, and if necessary to review this directive, in particular with regard to its effectiveness in combating wildlife crime;

Amendment 112 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Calls on the Commission to review Directive 2008/99/EC on the protection of the environment through criminal law, in particular with regard to its effectiveness in combating wildlife crime; stresses the need to include in EU legislation a definition and a new legal classification of the crimes carried out against the nature and species;

Amendment 113 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Calls on the Commission to review Directive 2008/99/EC on the protection of the environment through criminal law, in particular with regard to its effectiveness in combating wildlife crime within the time frame foreseen by the EU Agenda for Security; is deeply concerned that some Member States have not yet fully implemented Directive 2008/09/EC;

Amendment 114 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Urges the Member States to comply with the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime (UNTOC) as a basis for international action and mutual legal assistance and as a key step towards a common approach to combating wildlife crime; deeply regrets, in this connection, the fact that eleven Member States have not yet implemented UNTOC; calls on the Member States to implement the Convention as soon as possible;

Amendment 115 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Urges the Member States to effectively implement and comply with the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime (UNTOC) as a basis for international action and mutual legal assistance and as a key step towards a common approach to combating wildlife crime; deeply regrets, in this connection, the fact that eleven Member States have not yet implemented UNTOC;.

Amendment 116 #

Marco AFFRONTE, Piernicola PEDICINI, Eleonora EVI, Younous OMARJEE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Urges the Member States to comply with the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime (UNTOC) as a basis for international action and mutual legal assistance and as a key step towards a common coordinated approach to combating wildlife crime; deeply regrets, in this connection, the fact that eleven Member States have not yet implemented UNTOC;

Amendment 117 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to acknowledge the role of civil society and pursue opportunities to engage with non-government organisations with the skills and resources to provide appropriate assistance and training;

Amendment 118 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Considers that action against wildlife crime requires consistent and dissuasive criminal penalties; urges the Member States to define wildlife trafficking as a serious crime in accordance with article 2(b) of the UNTOC;

Amendment 119 #

Susanne MELIOR, Karin KADENBACH, Marco AFFRONTE, Pavel POC, Younous OMARJEE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Considers that action against wildlife crime requires consistent, effective and dissuasive criminal penalties; urges the Member States to define wildlife trafficking as a serious crime in accordance with UNTOC;

Amendment 12 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 a (new)

— having regard to the report of the 2014 EU Action to Fight Environmental Crime (EFFACE) research project,

Amendment 120 #

Marco AFFRONTE, Piernicola PEDICINI, Eleonora EVI, Younous OMARJEE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Calls on the Member States to recognise the scale of online wildlife trafficking and to build capacity ~~in order to ensure that channels exist to trigger assistance from cross-border units specialised in cybercrime;~~ within environmental crime units, coordination with customs cybercrime units, and engagement with civil society organisations in order to ensure that channels exist to trigger assistance from cross-border units specialised in cybercrime; further to the Council conclusion adopted in June 2016, calls on the Commission to develop guidelines on how to address online wildlife crime at the EU level;

Amendment 121 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Calls on the European Commission and Member States to recognise the scale of online wildlife trafficking and to build capacity within wildlife crime units, coordination with customs cybercrime units and engagement of NGOs active in monitoring online trade and facilitating enforcement trainings in order to ensure that channels exist to trigger assistance from cross- border units specialised in cybercrime;

Amendment 122 #

Susanne MELIOR, Karin KADENBACH, Marco AFFRONTE, Pavel POC, Younous OMARJEE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Calls on the European Commission and the Member States to recognise the scale of online wildlife trafficking and to build capacity within wildlife crime units in order to ensure that channels exist to trigger assistance from cross-border units specialised in cybercrime;

Amendment 123 #

Marco AFFRONTE, Piernicola PEDICINI, Eleonora EVI, Younous OMARJEE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Calls on the Member States to ~~recognis~~investigate the scale of online wildlife trafficking and to build capacity in order to ensure that channels exist to trigger assistance from cross-border units specialised in cybercrime;

Amendment 124 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Calls on the Commission to develop guidelines on how to address the problem of online wildlife crime, in particular on illegal internet trade in CITES listed species, at EU level as adopted in the Council conclusions in June 2016; In particular, urges that wildlife trafficking control measures should be strengthened in the field of online sales;

Amendment 125 #

Marco AFFRONTE, Piernicola PEDICINI, Eleonora EVI, Younous OMARJEE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)

17b. Calls on the Member States and the Commission to engage with social media platforms, search engines and e- commerce platforms on illegal internet trade in CITES listed species and development of policies to address potential illegal activity.

Amendment 126 #

Marco AFFRONTE, Piernicola PEDICINI, Eleonora EVI, Younous OMARJEE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to establish a precautionary approach for the import of hunting trophies from species listed in the CITES Appendices/Annexes of the Wildlife Trade Regulations protected under the EU wildlife trade regulations (338/97), e.g. imports must only be permitted where a set of robust, scientific information is provided for the targeted population, demonstrating significant and tangible conservation benefits in relation to hunting trophies from Annex A species, and that imports will not be detrimental to the conservation of the species concerned for Annex B species; imports should not be permitted from countries where corruption is suspected to be associated with the process;

Amendment 127 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Calls on EU and Member State enforcement agencies to identify and monitor the patterns of other forms of serious and organised crime, such as human trafficking, to inform prevention activities and the investigation of irregularities in the supply chain in the case of tackling wildlife trafficking; for example suspicious shipments and financial transactions;

Amendment 128 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Calls on the Member States to provide for cooperation, coordination, and a prompt exchange of information among all relevant agencies involved in implementing the CITES Convention, in particular the customs, the police, border veterinary and plant health inspection services, and other bodies;

Amendment 129 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to recognise the role of civil society and to provide non- governmental organisations with the powers and resources necessary for the provision of assistance and appropriate training;

Amendment 13 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 a (new)

— having regard to the Council conclusions of 12 February 2016, on the fight against the financing of terrorism,

Amendment 130 #

Marijana PETIR, Peter LIESE, Norbert LINS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Welcomes that the EU participates in COP17 for the first time as a party to CITES; and welcomes that the EU and the Member States demonstrate strong dedication and provide substantial financial support for CITES;

Amendment 131 #

Susanne MELIOR, Karin KADENBACH, Marco AFFRONTE, Pavel POC, Younous OMARJEE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Calls on the Commission to develop guidelines on how to address the problem of online wildlife crime at EU level as adopted in the Council conclusions in June 2016;

Amendment 132 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Calls on the Commission to develop guidelines on how to address the problem of online wildlife crime at EU level as adopted in the Council conclusions in June 2016;

Amendment 133 #

Marijana PETIR, Peter LIESE, Norbert LINS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)

17b. Calls on the Member States and the Commission to engage with social media platforms, search engines and e- commerce platforms on illegal internet trade in CITES listed species; calls in the Commission and Member States to develop policies to address potential illegal activity on internet;

Amendment 134 #

Susanne MELIOR, Karin KADENBACH

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)

17b. Calls on the Commission to promote the EU-TWIX system as a proven and well-functioning tool for Member States to share data and information and to ensure a long-term financial commitment to it;

Amendment 135 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)

17b. Calls on the Member States to consider a ban on the sale of exotic animals in commercial animal exchanges;

Amendment 136 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)

17c. Welcomes UNEP's expert review process which is seeking to create a universally recognised definition of environmental crime; in that regard, notes that the legal boundaries between different types of environmental crimes are sometimes unclear which can reduce opportunities for effective prosecution and punishment;

Amendment 137 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to step up dialogue with source, transit and destination countries in the wildlife trafficking supply chain and, in so far as necessary, to provide them with financial, technical assistance and diplomatic support;

Amendment 138 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to step up dialogue and operational cooperation with source, transit and destination countries in the wildlife trafficking supply chain and to provide them with technical assistance and diplomatic support;

Amendment 139 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Calls on the ~~Commission and the~~ Member States to step up dialogue with source, transit and destination countries in the wildlife trafficking supply chain and to provide them, in the framework of CITES, with technical assistance and diplomatic support;

Amendment 14 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 b (new)

— having regard to the report of the Secretary General of the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice of 4 March 2013 entitled 'Illicit trafficking in protected species of wild flora and fauna and illicit access to genetic resources',

Amendment 140 #

Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to establish a Trust Fund or similar facility under Article 187 of the revised financial regulation applicable to the general budget of the Union, with the objective of safeguarding protected areas and combating wildlife trafficking and poaching, as part of the Action Plan against wildlife trafficking;

Amendment 141 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Calls on the Commission to include mandatory sustainable development chapters in all EU trade agreements and negotiations, with specific reference to halting illegal trade in wildlife in all economic sectors; considers that the precautionary principle requires that compliance with EU regulations and international provisions on the protection of wildlife and application of a mechanism ensuring a robust and reliable control of trade in species should be absolute prerequisites for third countries to be entitled to receive EU funds for the development and implementation of free trade agreements;

Amendment 142 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Calls on the Commission to include mandatory and enforceable sustainable development chapters subject to binding dispute settlement in all EU trade agreements and negotiations, with specific reference to halting illegal trade in wildlife in all economic sectors;

Amendment 143 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

Amendment 144 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Calls on the Commission to include ~~mandatory~~ sustainable development chapters in all EU trade agreements and negotiations, with specific reference to halting illegal trade in wildlife in all economic sectors;

Amendment 145 #

Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Catherine BEARDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19a. Underlines the key role of international cooperation of all actors of the enforcement chain (Interpol, Europol, Eurojust, World Customs Organisation etc.) in order to strengthen law enforcement capacity on local, regional, national and international levels; welcomes their contribution and calls for even more engagement;

Amendment 146 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Calls ~~for~~on the EU to continue to support the International Consortium on cCombating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC), comprising CITES, Interpol, UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime), the World Bank and the World Customs Organisation; welcomes any strengthening of support including through the provision of financial resources and specialist expertise, in order to facilitate capacity-building by governments and the exchange of information and intelligence, and support enforcement and compliance by ICCWC members;

Amendment 147 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Calls ~~for~~on the EU and its Member States to support the International Consortium on combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC), comprising CITES, Interpol, UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime), the World Bank and the World Customs Organisation, including through the provision of financial resources and specialist expertise, in order to facilitate capacity building of governments, the exchange of information and intelligence, and support enforcement and compliance by ICCWC members;

Amendment 148 #

Susanne MELIOR, Karin KADENBACH, Marco AFFRONTE, Pavel POC, Younous OMARJEE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Calls for the EU to support the International Consortium on combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC)and calls on the Commission to use ICCWC indicators to evaluate effectiveness of third countries receiving EU funding support against wildlife trafficking in order to facilitate uniform and credible assessment of development funding;

Amendment 149 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. ~~Calls for the EU to support~~Highlights the importance of joint international enforcement operations, i.e. under the International Consortium on combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC), and calls for continuous EU support;

Amendment 15 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 b (new)

— having regard to the Council conclusions of 20 June 2016, on the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking,

Amendment 150 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Calls for the EU to continue to support the International Consortium on cCombatting Wildlife Crime (ICCWC);

Amendment 151 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20a. Calls for the creation of an international fund to combat trafficking of species of endangered wild fauna and flora, aimed at financially supporting cooperation between countries of origin, transit and destination, sensitising the populations of the countries of destination and also origin, promoting the development of the rural populations in the regions of the countries of origin concerned, and raising awareness amongst and providing training for all those involved in the fight against organised crime;

Amendment 152 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20a. Welcomes international law enforcement operations like Operation COBRA III which result in significant seizures of illegal wildlife products, arrests of traffickers and provide increased public visibility of wildlife trafficking as a serious organised crime;

Amendment 153 #

Susanne MELIOR, Karin KADENBACH, Marco AFFRONTE, Younous OMARJEE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20a. Calls on the Commission to use ICCWC indicators to evaluate effectiveness of third countries receiving EU funding support against wildlife trafficking in order to facilitate uniform and credible assessment of development funding;

Amendment 154 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20a. Notes that the development of preventive Positive Lists of permitted species should be promoted as best practice for the regulation of the exotic pet trade;

Amendment 155 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)

20b. Calls on Member States to reinforce the CITES budget so the organisation can expand its monitoring activity and species designation; in that regard, regrets that from the years 1992- 2015 six Member States still have outstanding payments to be made to CITES;

Amendment 156 #

Marijana PETIR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Notes that CITES, the EU Timber Regulation and the EU IUU regulatory framework are tools for regulating international wildlife trade; is concerned, however, about regulatory gaps with regard to species and actors; calls, therefore, for the EU to review ~~and amend~~ the existing legislative framework with a view to prohibiting the making available and placing on the market, transport, acquisition and possession of wildlife that has been illegally harvested or traded in third countries; considers that such legislation would harmonise and simplify the existing EU framework and that the transnational impact of such legislation can play a key role in reducing global wildlife trafficking; in this respect a legal certainty of all stakeholders that are involved in a legal trade of wild fauna and flora should be taken into account so Commission should provide a relevant and complete information regarding any restriction or prohibition for wildlife species that are illegal to be harvested in certain third countries;

Amendment 157 #

Norbert LINS, Peter LIESE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Notes that CITES, the EU Timber Regulation and the EU IUU regulatory framework are tools for regulating international wildlife trade; is concerned, however, about regulatory gaps with regard to species and actors; calls, therefore, for the EU to review and amend the existing legislative framework with a view to prohibiting the making available and placing on the market, transport, acquisition and possession of wildlife that has been illegally harvested or traded in third countries; considers that such legislation would harmonise and simplify the existing EU framework ~~and~~, provided that it is applied without national gold-plating and unilateral bans by Member States on legal products and personal or household effects which have demonstrably been obtained sustainably; considers that the transnational impact of such legislation can play a key role in reducing global wildlife trafficking;

Amendment 158 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Notes that CITES, the EU Timber Regulation and the EU IUU regulatory framework are important tools for regulating international wildlife trade; is concerned, however, ~~about regulatory gaps with regard to species and actors; calls, therefore,~~by the lack of proper enforcement and implementation; calls on the Member States to increase efforts to ensure effective implementation and enforcement of this legislation and for the EU to review ~~and amend~~ the existing legislative framework with a view to possibly prohibiting the making available and placing on the market, transport, acquisition and possession of wildlife that has been illegally harvested or traded in third countries; considers that such legislation wcould under certain conditions harmonise and simplify the existing EU framework and that the transnational impact of such legislation canould play a key role in reducing global wildlife trafficking;

Amendment 159 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Notes that CITES, the EU Timber Regulation and the EU IUU regulatory framework are tools for regulating international wildlife trade; urges the Member States to step up their efforts to ensure the effective implementation of this Regulation; is concerned, however, about regulatory gaps with regard to species and actors; calls, therefore, for the EU to review and amend the existing legislative framework with a view to prohibiting the making available and placing on the market, transport, acquisition and possession of wildlife that has been illegally harvested or traded in third countries; considers that such legislation would harmonise and simplify the existing EU framework and that the transnational impact of such legislation can play a key role in reducing global wildlife trafficking;

Amendment 16 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 c (new)

— having regard to the 2016 rapid response assessment by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Interpol entitled 'The Rise of Environmental Crime',

Amendment 160 #

Susanne MELIOR, Karin KADENBACH, Marco AFFRONTE, Pavel POC, Younous OMARJEE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Notes that CITES, the EU Timber Regulation and the EU IUU regulatory framework are important tools for regulating international wildlife trade; is concerned, however, by the lack of proper enforcement and implementation as well as about regulatory gaps with regard to species and actors; calls, therefore, for the EU to review and amend the existing legislative framework with a view to prohibiting the making available and placing on the market, transport, acquisition and possession of wildlife that has been illegally harvested or traded in third countries; considers that such legislation would harmonise ~~and simplify~~ the existing EU framework and that the transnational impact of such legislation can play a key role in reducing global wildlife trafficking;

Amendment 161 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Notes that CITES, the EU Timber Regulation and the EU IUU regulatory framework are tools for regulating international wildlife trade; is concerned, however, about regulatory gaps with regard to species and actors; calls, therefore, for the EU to ~~review and amend~~propose the amendment, within the CITES framework, of the existing legislative framework with a view to prohibiting the making available and placing on the market, transport, acquisition and possession of wildlife that has been illegally harvested or traded in third countries; considers that such legislation would harmonise and simplify the existing EU framework and that the transnational impact of such legislation can play a key role in reducing global wildlife trafficking;

Amendment 162 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

Amendment 163 #

Marco AFFRONTE, Piernicola PEDICINI, Eleonora EVI, Younous OMARJEE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

Amendment 164 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21a Calls the EU and Member States to commit adequate financial support to Rescue Centres. Confiscated animals are often moved to rescue centres on the basis of their expertise and reception capacity; in order to ensure the optimal balance of capacity and expertise, EU financial support for these facilities for all EU countries should be envisaged;

Amendment 165 #

Marco AFFRONTE, Piernicola PEDICINI, Eleonora EVI, Younous OMARJEE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21a. Welcomes the 2016 Buckingham Palace Declaration in which signatories from airlines, shipping firms, port operators, customs agencies, intergovernmental organizations and conservation charities commit to raising standards across the transport sector with a focus on information sharing, staff training, technological improvements, and resource sharing across companies and organisations worldwide; calls on all parties to fully implement the commitments of the Declaration; encourages the Member States to promote voluntary commitments similar to the Buckingham Palace Declaration in other areas in particular the financial and e- commerce sectors;

Amendment 166 #

Daciana Octavia SÂRBU

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21a. Notes that the European Commission reports insufficient progress in the implementation of the EU Timber Regulation and highlights the lack of resources available to competent authorities for proper enforcement. Stresses that until improvements are made in this regard the capacity of the EUTR to combat illegal logging and deforestation will be limited, as will any future legislation prohibiting the sale of illegally harvested wildlife;

Amendment 167 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21a. In its outreach to other countries, the Action Plan should emphasise that a precautionary approach should be taken to wildlife trade, particularly where evidence of sustainability is lacking or where corruption is suspected. Compliance with all national and international wildlife regulations, and robust mechanisms for controlling wildlife trade, should be a prerequisite for development funding and free trade agreements;

Amendment 168 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21a. Calls for the full and immediate ban at European level of trade, export or re-export in the European Union and to destinations outside the EU of ivory, including ‘pre-Convention’ ivory and rhinoceros horns; calls for the establishment of a mechanism to assess the need for similar restrictions for other endangered species;

Amendment 169 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21a. Calls for a complete and immediate EU-wide ban on the trade, export or re-export out or within the EU in elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn, and for a framework to assess the need for similar trade restrictive measures for other species endangered by trade;

Amendment 17 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 18 a (new)

— having regard to the seriousness of the loss of global biodiversity, which corresponds to the sixth wave of mass extinction of species,

Amendment 170 #

Marco AFFRONTE, Piernicola PEDICINI, Eleonora EVI, Younous OMARJEE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21a. Urges a total and immediate EU- wide ban on the trade, export, or re-export out or within the European Union in elephant ivory (including pre-convention ivory) and rhinoceros horn; and calls for a framework to evaluate the need for similar trade restrictive measures for other species threatened and endangered by trade;

Amendment 171 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)

21b. Urges a total and immediate EU- wide ban on the trade, export, or re-export out or within the European Union in elephant ivory (including pre-convention ivory) and rhinoceros horn; calls for a framework to evaluate the need for similar trade restrictive measures for other species endangered by trade;

Amendment 172 #

Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Catherine BEARDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)

21b. Underlines that trophy hunting has contributed to large-scale declines in CITES Appendix I and II -listed endangered species and urges the Commission and the Member States to establish a precautionary approach for the import of hunting trophies from species protected under the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations, and to support the further strengthening of the EU's legal provisions governing the import of hunting trophies into EU Member States, and to require permits for the import of trophies of all species listed in Annex B of Regulation (EC) No. 338/97;

Amendment 173 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Considers traceability in the supply chain ~~to be~~ essential for legal and sustainable trade, whether commercial or non- commercial; highlights the need for cooperation and coordination at the international level as well as between the public and private sectors; calls ~~for~~on the EU to strengthen the existing control instruments ~~and~~including the use of traceability mechanisms; considers that the transport sector should play a ~~key role, especially~~pivotal role, for example by implementing an early warning detection systems; notes the important role that the private sector and public-private partnerships can play in this regard;

Amendment 174 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Considers traceability in the supply chain to be essential; calls for the EU to strengthen existing control instruments and considers that the transport sector should play a key role, especially by implementing early warning detection systems;, in which context additional administrative burden on that same sector1 a must be avoided; __________________ 1a The transport sector.

Amendment 175 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Considers traceability in the supply chain to be essential; calls for the EU Member States to strengthen existing control instruments and considers that the transport sector should play a key role, especially by implementing early warning detection systems;

Amendment 176 #

Arne GERICKE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22a. Draws attention also, in this connection, to the use of wild animals in circuses which, given that it is subject to a total ban in some EU Member States, a local ban in others, but is still permitted in several Member States, would best be regulated through uniform European legislation;

Amendment 177 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22a. Stresses that trophy hunting is an unethical and unsustainable practice and one which is directly responsible for the decline of biodiversity and endangered species listed in Appendices I and II of CITES; urges the EU and its Member States ban trophy hunting and the sale of hunting trophies;

Amendment 178 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23a. Calls on the Member States to harmonise and tighten up the penalties to be imposed on end buyers of wildlife that has been the subject of unlawful and criminal activity;

Amendment 179 #

Susanne MELIOR, Karin KADENBACH, Marco AFFRONTE, Pavel POC, Younous OMARJEE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Calls on the Member States to ensure the immediate confiscation of any seized specimens and the care and re- homing of seized or confiscated live specimens ~~at recognised and certified animal welfare centre~~; calls on the Member States and the Commission to introduce a certification system and a funding mechanism to ensure that wildlife rescue centres used by Member States are of good standard and well-resourced in order to improve the welfare of confiscated animals;

Amendment 18 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 18 b (new)

— whereas global biodiversity and ecosystem services are under threat owing to land-use changes, unsustainable use of natural resources, and pollution and climate change; whereas, in particular, many endangered species face greater challenges than before owing to rapid urbanisation, loss of habitat and the illegal wildlife trade;

Amendment 180 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Calls on the Member States to ensure the immediate confiscation of any seized specimens and the care and re- homing of seized or confiscated live specimens at ~~recognised and certified animal welfare centre~~animal welfare centres; in that regard, calls on the Commission to provide guidance for animal welfare centres to provide suitable and harmonised welfare standards;

Amendment 181 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Calls on the Member States to ensure the immediate confiscation of any seized specimens and the care and re- homing of seized or confiscated live specimens at recognised ~~and certified~~ animal welfare centres;

Amendment 182 #

Susanne MELIOR, Karin KADENBACH, Marco AFFRONTE, Pavel POC, Younous OMARJEE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24a. Calls on the Member States to adopt national plans for the handling of live confiscated specimens in line with CITES Resolution Conference 10.7 (RevCoP15) Annex 3. Member States should report on all seized live specimens to EU-TWIX and annual summary reports should be published. Member States should ensure that the training of enforcement officers includes welfare and safety considerations for the handling of live animals. Calls on the EU and Member States to commit adequate financial support to Wildlife Rescue Centres;

Amendment 183 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24a. Calls on the Member States to adopt national plans for handling of live confiscated specimens in line with CITES Resolution Conf. 10.7 (Rev. CoP15) Annex 3; calls for reporting under EU- TWIX and for annual summary reports to be made public, including information of the disposal of confiscated live specimens; urges Member States to ensure training of enforcement officers to include welfare and safety considerations for the handling of live animals;

Amendment 184 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24a. Urges the Member States and the Commission to introduce a certification scheme to ensure that those centres are of good quality, and a funding mechanism to ensure that the centres have sufficient resources to provide for the welfare of animals that have been seized or confiscated, as well as sufficient reception capacity and staff expertise, and to ensure the balanced distribution of these centres over the territory of the Union;

Amendment 185 #

Arne GERICKE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24a. Points also, in this context, to the importance of and the damage caused by so-called ‘invasive species’ in Europe and calls for the ‘European list of invasive species’, which entered into force in 2016, to be revised without delay in accordance with sound scientific evidence;

Amendment 186 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24a. Calls on the Member States to consider "positive list" species systems, whereby exotic species are assessed objectively and according to scientific criteria for their safety and suitability for trading and keeping as pets;

Amendment 187 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

Amendment 188 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)

24b. Calls for the Commission to develop clear guidance on how to determine a place of destination for a live specimen is adequately equipped to conserve and care for it, as required under EU Wildlife Trade Regulations; furthermore calls for Member States and the EU to ensure adequate financing of animal welfare/ rescue centres.

Amendment 19 #

Nicola CAPUTO, Pavel POC

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas wildlife trafficking is an organised international crime estimated to be worth between EUR 8 and EUR 20 billion annually; whereas it has become the fourth largest black market, after the drugs, people and arms markets; whereas the Internet has come to play a key role in facilitating wildlife trafficking; whereas terrorist groups also use the above types of trafficking to finance their operations; whereas wildlife trafficking offences are not punished severely enough;

Amendment 2 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 a (new)

— having regard to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention),

Amendment 20 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas wildlife trafficking is an organised international crime estimated to be worth between EUR 8 and EUR 20 billion annually, which finances, and is closely linked with, other forms of serious and organised crime, including terrorist groups and militias;

Amendment 21 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas wildlife trafficking is an organised international crime estimated to be worth between EUR 8 and EUR 20 billion annually, making it one of the most lucrative forms of trafficking in the world;

Amendment 22 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas wildlife trafficking is an organised international crime estimated to be worth between EUR 8 and EUR 20 billion annually and has further increased worldwide in recent years;

Amendment 23 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas wildlife trafficking has major negative impacts on biodiversity, existing ecosystems, the natural heritage of the countries of origin, natural resources and the conservation of species;

Amendment 24 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas wildlife trafficking has major negative impacts on biodiversity, natural resources and the conservation of species and is destroying the results of many decades of nature conservation;

Amendment 25 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas wildlife trafficking isand the associated poaching are a serious and growing threat to global security, political stability, and economic development, disrupt local livelihoods and the rule of law, and therefore requires a strategic, coordinated EU approach involving all the actors concerned;

Amendment 26 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas wildlife trafficking is a ~~serious and growing threat to global~~n international threat affecting security, ~~politic~~national stability, economic development, local livelihoods and the rule of law, and therefore requires a strategic, coordinated ~~EU approach involving all the actors concerned~~international approach;

Amendment 27 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas wildlife trafficking is a serious and growing threat to ~~global~~ security, political stability, economic development, local livelihoods and the rule of law, and therefore requires a strategic, coordinated EU approach involving all the actors concerned;

Amendment 28 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas trophy hunting is a form of exploitation of wild species and is a further threat to their populations; whereas the European Union is one of the main markets for the import of hunting trophies;

Amendment 29 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas in the case of aquatic species, wildlife trafficking is linked to activities whose prosecution is provided by law, but also to the phenomenon of unwanted catches or the pressure of industrial fishing;

Amendment 3 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 7

— having regard to the 2016 World Wildlife Crime Report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) ~~entitled~~,

Amendment 30 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. Whereas halting trafficking in endangered species of flora and fauna and products derived from them is essential in order to attain the UN’s sustainable development targets;

Amendment 31 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas CITES is a major international agreement in force since 1975 with 181 parties (including all EU Member States and since July 2015 the EU itself) covering 35,000 animal and plant species;

Amendment 32 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas trade and development policies should, inter alia, serve as a means to improve respect for human rights, animal welfare and environmental protection;

Amendment 33 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas the EU is a minor source of wildlife flora and fauna but a major transit and destination market for illegal wildlife trade;

Amendment 34 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)

Cb. whereas EU-TWIX has been monitoring the illegal wildlife trade by creating a seizures database and channels of communication between officials across European countries since 2005;

Amendment 35 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)

Cb. whereas lack of awareness and political engagement are major obstacles to combating wildlife trafficking effectively;

Amendment 36 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)

Cc. whereas the EU Agenda on Security for 2015-2020 identifies wildlife crime as a form of organised crime that must be tackled at EU level by considering further criminal sanctions throughout the EU by means of a review of the existing legislation on environmental crime;

Amendment 37 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C d (new)

Cd. whereas Operation COBRA III conducted in May 2015 was the biggest ever coordinated international law enforcement operation targeting the illegal trade in endangered species and resulted in 139 arrests and more than 247 seizures, which included elephant ivory, medicinal plants, rhino horns, pangolins, rosewood, tortoises and many other plant and animal specimens;

Amendment 38 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C e (new)

Ce. whereas the demand for illegal wildlife products in destination markets promotes corruption across the wildlife trafficking supply chain;

Amendment 39 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes the Commission’s Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking, ~~which~~insofar as it highlights the need for coordinated actions to address the causes of wildlife trafficking, to implement and enforce existing rules effectively, and to strengthen global cooperation between source, transit and destination countries;

Amendment 4 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 11 a (new)

— having regard to the Declaration signed at the 2014 London Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade,

Amendment 40 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Calls ~~for~~on the ~~EU and each Member State to address wildlife crime~~Commission, the Member States, the European External Action Service and the EU agencies Europol and Eurojust to recognise that wildlife crime is a serious and growing threat and to address it with the greatest political urgency; highlights the need for comprehensive and coordinated approaches across policy areas including trade, development, foreign affairs, and justice and home affairs;

Amendment 41 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Calls for the EU and each Member State to address wildlife crime with the greatest political urgency; highlights the need for comprehensive and coordinated approaches across policy areas including trade, development, foreign affairs, and justice and home affairs; calls on the EU and Member States to ensure adequate financial resources within the EU budget and national budgets to effectively tackle wildlife trafficking;

Amendment 42 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Calls for the EU and each Member State to address wildlife crime with ~~the greatest political urgency~~very close attention and a rapid response; highlights the need for comprehensive and coordinated approaches across policy areas including trade, development, foreign affairs, and justice and home affairs, whilst still respecting the sovereignty of states;

Amendment 43 #

Marco AFFRONTE, Piernicola PEDICINI, Eleonora EVI, Younous OMARJEE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

Amendment 44 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Acknowledges the importance of the action plan, but stresses its shortcomings as regards the incorporation of aquatic species;

Amendment 45 #

Susanne MELIOR, Karin KADENBACH, Marco AFFRONTE, Pavel POC, Younous OMARJEE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Acknowledges that the identification and allocation of appropriate financial and human resources is essential for the implementation of the Action Plan by the Commission, Member States, Europol and other identified actors. This should include dedicated funding for a Wildlife Crime Unit at Europol and for the work of EU-TWIX;

Amendment 46 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. urges the European Commission to propose specific budget allocations to support effective and concrete actions across the different EU policies to combat trafficking of wild species;

Amendment 47 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Insists on the full and timely implementation and enforcement of all elements of the Action Plan and the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations to prevent illegal and unsustainable practices; calls on the Commission to provide Parliament and the Council with yearly written implementation updates, which should include a detailed monitoring and evaluation plan;

Amendment 48 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Insists on timely implementation of all elements of the Action Plan; cCalls on the Commission to provide Parliament and the Council with yearly written implementation updates, and to put in place an effective evaluation system to take account of the data and information provided by NGOs and civil society groups;

Amendment 49 #

Susanne MELIOR, Marco AFFRONTE, Karin KADENBACH, Pavel POC, Younous OMARJEE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Insists on timely implementation of all elements of the Action Plan; calls on the Commission to provide Parliament and the Council with yearly written implementation updates, and setup a detailed monitoring and evaluation plan to measure the progress;

Amendment 5 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 11 b (new)

— having regard to the 2016 Buckingham Palace Declaration on the prevention of wildlife trafficking in the transport sector,

Amendment 50 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Insists on timely implementation of all elements of the Action Plan to reflect the urgent need to prevent further species decline; calls on the Commission to provide Parliament and the Council with yearly written implementation updates;

Amendment 51 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Insists on timely implementation of all elements of the Action Plan, whilst respecting the sovereignty of states; calls on the Commission to provide Parliament and the Council with yearly written implementation updates;

Amendment 52 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. calls on the Commission and Member States to better increase the protection of habitat of target species. Increased protection should be assures to areas designated as Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems, Marine Areas Ecologically or Biologically Significant and Natura 2000 network ;

Amendment 53 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Notes that wild-life trafficking not only constitutes a threat to the wild-life but also to people who depend on the legal and sustainable hunting and trade of wild-life;

Amendment 54 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Calls on the Commission to ~~establish a dedicated Wildlife Traffick~~advocate, at international level and withing C~~oordinator’s office, mirroring the model used to fight human~~ITES, the establishment of coordination of the operational fight against wildlife trafficking, in order to ensure a joined-up effort by the different ~~Commission services and the Member States~~States Parties to the Convention;

Amendment 55 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to further develop scientific studies on technological adaptations of fishing gears in order to avoid bycatch, having regard to the fact that a number of species, including turtles, are threatened by both bycatch and the wild animal trafficking;

Amendment 56 #

Marco AFFRONTE, Piernicola PEDICINI, Eleonora EVI, Younous OMARJEE, Susanne MELIOR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4b. Stresses that importation of hunting trophies into the European Union does not comply with the precautionary principle enshrined in the Treaties;

Amendment 57 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Calls for awareness-raising campaigns by the EU, third countries, stakeholders and civil society with the aim of reducing the market demand for illegal wildlife products through real and long- term social and behavioural change; Recognizes the need to support initiatives for coordinated approaches to address the involuntarily illegal wildlife trade through possess and transport of protected species;

Amendment 58 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Calls for awareness-raising campaigns by the EU, third countries, stakeholders and civil society with the aim of reducing the market demand for illegal wildlife products through real and long- term social and behavioural change; recognises the role civil society organisations can play in supporting the action plan;

Amendment 59 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Calls for a targeted and coordinated series of awareness-raising campaigns by the EU, third countries, stakeholders and civil society with the aim of reducing ~~the market demand for illegal~~demand related to the illegal trade in wildlife products through real and long- term social and behavioural change;

Amendment 6 #

Daciana Octavia SÂRBU

Motion for a resolution
Citation 12

— having regard to Regulation (EU) No 995/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 October 2010 laying down the obligations of operators who place timber and timber products on the market4 , and the European Commission's 2016 implementation report thereof, __________________ 4 OJ L 295, 12.11.2010, p. 23.

Amendment 60 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

Amendment 61 #

Susanne MELIOR, Marco AFFRONTE, Karin KADENBACH, Pavel POC, Younous OMARJEE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the EU to support initiatives promoting the development of alternative ~~livelihoods for~~sustainable livelihoods options that increase benefits from and local support for wildlife conservation with full consultation of local communities close to the wildlife concerned and contributing to the recovery and conservation of wildlife populations;

Amendment 62 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the EU to support initiatives promoting the development of sustainable and alternative livelihoods for local communities close to the wildlife ~~concerned and~~to contribut~~ing~~e to the recovery and conservation of wildlife populations, minimise human wildlife conflict and promote wildlife as a valuable community income;

Amendment 63 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the EU, without engaging in any form of political interference, to support local initiatives promoting the development of alternative livelihoods for ~~local~~indigenous communities close to the wildlife concerned and contributing to the recovery and conservation of wildlife populations;

Amendment 64 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the EU to take its own measures and support other initiatives ~~promot~~ensuring the development of alternative livelihoods for local communities close to the wildlife concerned and contributing to the recovery and conservation of endangered wildlife populations;

Amendment 65 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the EU to support initiatives promoting the development of alternative livelihoods for local communities close to the wildlife concerned and contributing to the recovery ~~and~~, conservation and sustainable use of wildlife populations;

Amendment 66 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the EU to support initiatives promoting the development of alternative livelihoods for local communities close to the wildlife concerned and contributing to the recovery and conservation of wildlife populations and their habitats;

Amendment 67 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Recalls that legal hunting and legal trade in wildlife can contribute to incomes in developing countries, especially in rural areas; calls for measures promoting legal and environmentally sustainable wildlife trade as a tool for promoting economic development and biodiversity;

Amendment 68 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Urges the Commission to be more precise on the mention and integration of IUU fishing in the regulation and to consider strengthening this strategy as a priority in the Action Plan;

Amendment 69 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Calls for the EU, as a matter of urgency, to address corruption and the shortcomings of international governance measures across the wildlife trafficking chain; calls for the EU and its Member States to engage with partner countries through the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and other fora to tackle the problem in source, transit and destination markets; calls on all Member States to fully comply with the provisions of UNCAC; welcomes the international commitment under UNGA Resolution 69/314 (July 2015), i.e. on counter-corruption (Art.10);

Amendment 7 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 a (new)

— having regard to the Regulation 1185/2003 amended by Regulation 605/2013 on the removal of fins of sharks on board vessels and Regulation 206/2009 which allows the import of 20 kg of fish products for personal consumption,

Amendment 70 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Calls for the EU and all States Parties to the CITES Convention, as a matter of urgency, to address corruption and the shortcomings of international governance measures across the wildlife trafficking chain; calls for the EU and its Member States to engage with partner countries through the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and other fora to tackle the problem in source, transit and destination markets; calls on all Member States to fully comply with the provisions of UNCAC;

Amendment 71 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Calls for the EU, as a matter of urgency, to address corruption and the shortcomings of international governance measures across the wildlife trafficking chain and take international cooperation measures; calls for the EU and its Member States to engage with partner countries through the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and other fora to tackle the problem in source, transit and destination markets; calls on all Member States to fully comply with the provisions of UNCAC;

Amendment 72 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

Amendment 73 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Recognises the need to provide assistance and guidance to source countries concerning enforcement and judicial procedures at local, regional and national level; calls for the EU ~~to enable training, specialised equipment and expertise to be provided where n~~, where necessary, to support the development of efficient investigation capacities in the countries of origin by providing training for customs authorities, specialised equipment and expertise geared to combating trafficking in wild and endangered species~~sary~~ of fauna and flora;

Amendment 74 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Recognises the need to provide assistance ~~and guidance to source~~, guidance and training in a coordinated way with other agencies involved in this work to source, transit and destination countries concerning investigation, enforcement and judicial procedures at local, regional and national level; calls for the EU to enable training, specialised equipment and expertise to be provided where necessary;

Amendment 75 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

Amendment 76 #

Kateřina KONEČNÁ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Recognises the need to provide effective assistance and guidance to source countries concerning enforcement and judicial procedures at local, regional and national level; calls for the EU to enable training, specialised equipment and expertise that will help to achieve real results to be provided where necessary;

Amendment 77 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

Amendment 78 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

Amendment 79 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to put in place a precautionary approach for the import of hunting trophies of species listed in the Appendices to CITES and the annexes to the Regulation on trade in wild species protected under the EU regulation of trade in wild fauna (338/97), requiring that imports only be authorised if a set of precise and sound scientific information demonstrates the significant and tangible benefits for conservation of the targeted population with respect to hunting trophies in the case of species in Annex A, and that imports not be detrimental to the conservation of the target populations for the species in Annex B; imports should in any case not be permitted into countries where corruption is suspected of being involved in this process;

Amendment 8 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 b (new)

— having regard to the importance of the European Fisheries Control Agency, established by Regulation ( EC) No 768/2005, in combating illegal capture and sale of aquatic species,

Amendment 80 #

Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Catherine BEARDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to further invest on environmental education and raising awareness projects including those European actors, like fishermen, who are particularly involved in protecting wildlife trafficking targets;

Amendment 81 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Takes note of the Council Conclusions on the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking of 20 June 2016, recognising that wildlife crime is a serious and growing threat to biodiversity and the environment but also to global security, the rule of law, human rights and sustainable development; strongly regrets the lack of clear commitments by the Member States; stresses the decisive role of the Member States in the full and coherent implementation of the Action Plan at a national level in delivering the objectives set out therein;

Amendment 82 #

Susanne MELIOR, Karin KADENBACH, Marco AFFRONTE, Pavel POC, Younous OMARJEE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Calls on the Member States to ~~put in place national enforcement~~establish Wildlife Crime Units to facilitate implementation across the various agencies at the national level; to put in place national wildlife trafficking action plans detailing implementation enforcement policies and penalties, and to publish the information on seizures and arrests relating to wildlife crimes, in order to ensure consistency and harmonised approaches between Member States;

Amendment 83 #

Marco AFFRONTE, Piernicola PEDICINI, Eleonora EVI, Younous OMARJEE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Calls on the Member States to put in place national ~~enforcement~~wildlife trafficking action plans detailing implementation enforcement policies and penalties, and to publish the information on seizures and arrests relating to wildlife crimes, in order to ensure consistency and harmonised approaches between Member States;

Amendment 84 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Calls on the Member States to ~~put in place national enforcement action plans detailing enforcement~~work, in the framework of CITES, towards applying policies and penalties, and to publish the information on seizures and arrests relating to wildlife crimes, in order to ensure consistency and harmonised approaches between Member States that are parties to CITES;

Amendment 85 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Calls on the Member States to put in place national enforcement action plans detailing enforcement policies and penalties, and to publish and to exchange the information on seizures and arrests relating to wildlife crimes, in order to ensure consistency and harmonised approaches between Member States;

Amendment 86 #

Marco AFFRONTE, Piernicola PEDICINI, Eleonora EVI, Younous OMARJEE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Calls on the Member States to put in place ~~national~~ enforcement action plans detailing enforcement policies and penalties, and to publish the information on seizures and arrests relating to wildlife crimes, in order to ensure consistency and harmonised approaches between Member States;

Amendment 87 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Calls on the European Commission to provide additional financial resources to the Action Plan for defined targets to allow the success and the implementation of the plan in the long term;

Amendment 88 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Welcomes the Commission's call for a monitoring and evaluation mechanism to assess Member States progress on the implementation of the Action Plan by providing regular data and information updates on seizures of illegal wildlife products, arrests of wildlife traffickers and to share best practice;

Amendment 89 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Calls on the European Commission to continue and improve the training and awareness activities of European and national bodies, agencies and judicial institutions specialised in the fight against wildlife trafficking;

Amendment 9 #

Marco AFFRONTE, Piernicola PEDICINI, Eleonora EVI, Younous OMARJEE

Motion for a resolution
Citation 15 a (new)

— having regard to the Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on the conservation of wild birds,

Amendment 90 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Calls for an annual monitoring and evaluation mechanism to assess Member States progress on the implementation of the Action Plan by providing regular data and information updates concerning wildlife trafficking;

Amendment 91 #

Nicola CAPUTO, Pavel POC

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Urges the Member States to ensure that enforcement agencies, prosecution services and national judiciaries have the necessary financial and human resources to combat wildlife crime; points to the importance of setting up special prosecutors’ offices and specialised police squads to fight wildlife trafficking more effectively;

Amendment 92 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Urges the Member States to ensure that enforcement agencies, prosecution services and national judiciaries have the necessary financial and human resources to combat wildlife crime; underlines in this regard the necessity for training to enforcement services, like veterinarians and environmental inspectors;

Amendment 93 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Urges the Member States to ensure that enforcement agencies, prosecution services and national judiciaries have the necessary financial and human resources to combat wildlife crime; strongly encourages Member States to upscale their efforts for training and sensitising all mentioned stakeholders;

Amendment 94 #

Susanne MELIOR, Karin KADENBACH, Marco AFFRONTE, Pavel POC, Younous OMARJEE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Urges the Member States to ensure that enforcement agencies, prosecution services and national judiciaries as well as Wildlife Crime Units within Europol have the necessary financial and human resources to combat wildlife crime;

Amendment 95 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Urges the Member States to ensure that enforcement agencies, prosecution services and national judiciaries have the necessary financial and human resources and appropriate expertise to combat wildlife crime;

Amendment 96 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Urges the Member States to ensure that enforcement agencies, prosecution services and national judiciaries have the necessary specialist, material, financial and human resources to combat wildlife crime;

Amendment 97 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Underlines the need for improved inter-agency cooperation and for functioning and timely data sharing between national and EU-level implementation and enforcement agencies; calls for the creation of strategic enforcement networks at both EU and national level in order to facilitate and improve such cooperation;

Amendment 98 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. suggests that the action plan identifies the financial resources to be allocated to each of the relevant targets actions that allow a detailed verification of the implementation of the plan over time.

Amendment 99 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)

10b. Welcomes the efforts of the Network for the Implementation and Enforcement of EU Environmental Law (IMPEL), the European Network of Prosecutors for the Environment (ENPE), the EU Forum of Judges for the Environment (EUFJE) and the network of police officers focusing on tackling environmental crime (EnviCrimeNet);

source: 589.210

2016/09/21 PECH 56 amendments...

Amendment 1 #

Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS, Nicola CAPUTO, Renata BRIANO, Ulrike RODUST, Carlos ZORRINHO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. ~~Acknowledges the importance of~~Notes the action plan, but stresses its shortcomings as regards the incorporation of aquatic species;

Amendment 10 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)

1c. Recalls that illegal coral harvesting, as with Corallium rubrum in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean, or accidental, as the one associated with bottom trawling and longline fisheries, constitute threats to habitats and the ecosystem services they support;

Amendment 11 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. ~~Welcomes the fact that monitoring issues have been regarded as important, but c~~Calls on the Commission to be more precise in its mention of IUU fishing and the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) in particular;

Amendment 12 #

Jarosław WAŁĘSA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Supports strengthening implementation of existing agreements as well as enforcing new legislation on national level especially in developing countries to comply with CITES and IUU regulations by helping to develop programmes, create regulations, run workshops and assist enforcement efforts;

Amendment 13 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Calls on the Commission to include in the new action plan cooperation mechanism between the fight against IUU fishing and the strategies developed for fighting wildlife trafficking;

Amendment 14 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Urges the Commission to acknowledge ~~and pay due attention to IUU fishing carried out in Europe (such as the fishing of glass-eels and sturgeon and damage to c~~IUU fishing carried out outside EU waters and calls for closer monitoring of vulnerable marine species and species protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Floral);

Amendment 15 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Urges the Commission to acknowledge and pay due attention to IUU fishing carried out in Europe (such as the fishing of glass-eels and sturgeon and damage to coral) and to do more to protect the seabed;

Amendment 16 #

Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS, Nicola CAPUTO, Renata BRIANO, Ulrike RODUST, Carlos ZORRINHO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Urges the Commission to acknowledge and pay due attention to IUU fishing carried out in Europe and its immediate neighbourhood (such as the fishing of glass-eels and sturgeon and damage to coral);

Amendment 17 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Urges the Commission to acknowledge and pay due attention to IUU fishing carried out in Europe (such as the fishing of glass-eels and sturgeon and ~~damage to coral~~coral harvesting);

Amendment 18 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Stresses the need for DG MARE and DG TRADE to cooperate effectively in ensuring that IUU fisheries products are not imported into the Union and that the trade agreements negotiated do not include IUU species;

Amendment 19 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Maintains that it must be ensured that measures under the Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking are consistent with EU law on IUU fishing;

Amendment 2 #

Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS, Nicola CAPUTO, Renata BRIANO, Ole CHRISTENSEN, José BLANCO LÓPEZ, Ulrike RODUST, Carlos ZORRINHO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Draws attention to the fact that one of the commitments entered into by the Union under the Convention on Biological Diversity is to protect marine biodiversity in general in EU waters and on the high seas; stresses that the objective of protecting marine biodiversity should be pursued by a variety of means including action to combat IUU fishing, monitor all forms of trafficking on the seas, strengthen the external strand of the common fisheries policy and combat crime in general;

Amendment 20 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Stresses the importance of fighting illegal exports from Europe of glass eels and European sturgeon used in caviar trafficking;

Amendment 21 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Suggests that wildlife trafficking control measures should be strengthened, particularly on illicit trafficking of species for aquariums and in the field of online sales (purchases by aquarium owners, for example);

Amendment 22 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Stresses the importance of control, training and public awareness raising campaigns in order to enforce the action plan against wildlife trafficking in the fisheries sector;

Amendment 23 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Reiterates the need for continuing scientific research and technological development of fishing gear, so as to prevent by-catches and alleviate pressure in the form of catches on stocks of organisms that are the target of trafficking;

Amendment 24 #

Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS, Nicola CAPUTO, Renata BRIANO, José BLANCO LÓPEZ, Ulrike RODUST, Carlos ZORRINHO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Reiterates the need for continuing scientific research and technological development of fishing gear, so as to prevent by-catches and alleviate pressure on stocks of organisms that are the target of trafficking;(Does not affect the English version.)

Amendment 25 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Suggests that the import permits for organisms or organism parts that are the subject of conservation measures be revised (Regulation 1185/2003 amended by Regulation 605/2013);

Amendment 26 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to apply the precautionary principle and ensure that import permits are not issued for wild organisms in cases where their import is having or could have an adverse impact on biodiversity in the countries of origin (endangered species) and/or the countries of destination (invasive species); stresses the importance of seeking the opinion of the coastal and rural communities affected;

Amendment 27 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Encourages the Commission to use the experience gained in the fight against IUU fishing in order to improve the methods used to combat wildlife trafficking;

Amendment 28 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)

6b. Calls for the Union to respond swiftly to applications from Member States for species to be included on the EU list of invasive alien species; points out that the Union’s response to Sweden’s application for the American lobster to be included on that list will be a good indicator of how committed the Union really is to protecting biodiversity;

Amendment 29 #

Nicola CAPUTO, Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Stresses the importance of maintaining the traceability of fisheries products; emphasises that illegal and unreported fishing is a threat to the sustainable exploitation of living aquatic resources and undermines efforts to achieve better management of the oceans and protect marine biodiversity;

Amendment 3 #

1a. Notes that the European Union’s regulation to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing has made an impact, but insists on the fact that implementation should be more robust to ensure that no illegal fish enter the European market; suggests that EU members should be more consistent and effective in checks of catch documentation (catch certificates) and consignments (in particular from countries judged as high risk) to ensure that fish have been caught legally;

Amendment 30 #

Nicola CAPUTO, Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Stresses the importance of maintaining the traceability of fisheries products and ensuring that they are properly labelled;

Amendment 31 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Notes that DNA-based identification techniques can provide valuable support to monitoring, but also to targeted investigations for prosecution purposes; considers DNA-based tools to be ideal for identifying the origin of fish and fish products, since DNA is found in all cells and can be extracted even from fried fish;

Amendment 32 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Suggest that the system of issuing yellow and red cards to third countries who are not cooperating in the fight against IUU fishing, might also be used as a mechanism for combating wildlife trafficking;

Amendment 33 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Draws attention to the fact that legal eel fishermen are unanimous in calling for an EU label to be established in order to guarantee traceability and ensure that the market in eels is fair;

Amendment 34 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Stresses the importance of good quality data in the fisheries sector and good quality flow between the enforcement agencies responsible in the Member-States;

Amendment 35 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)

7b. Calls for tighter rules and controls on recreational fishing, which is not properly regulated at national level and can result in products being sold on the black market;

Amendment 36 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)

7b. Stresses the importance of traceability in determining the origin and the routes of wildlife trafficking in the EU in order to better combat it;

Amendment 37 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Suggests that the surveillance and protection of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VME), Ecologically or Biologically Significant Areas (EBSA) and the Natura 2000 network be stepped up, in order to aid the conservation of species that are under pressure from illegal trafficking; calls for the Union and the Member States to support action by coastal and rural communities seeking to improve their livelihoods by protecting marine and land- based wildlife living in proximity to them;

Amendment 38 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Suggests that the surveillance and protection of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VME), Ecologically or Biologically Significant Areas (EBSA) and the Natura 2000 network be stepped up, in ongoing consultation with all stakeholders, in order to aid the conservation of species that are under pressure from illegal trafficking;

Amendment 39 #

Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS, Nicola CAPUTO, Renata BRIANO, Ulrike RODUST, Carlos ZORRINHO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Believes it essential to step up action against widespread depredation of rivers by criminals, who are smuggling out large quantities of fish for sale on north-east European markets without regard for the species caught or for the environmental impact of the disruption caused to wildlife; calls on the Commission and the Member States to cooperate in tightening up border controls, so as to be able to intercept any such exports of fish intended for sale on the black market, which pose a major threat, not least to consumer health;

Amendment 4 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Recalls that the species of sea turtles Chelonia mydas, Eretmochelys imbricata and Dermochelys coriacea are threatened by illegal trafficking and that, in addition to illegal catches, they are still bycaught in some industrial fisheries;

Amendment 40 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9

~~9. Suggests that action be taken to promote the use of tools that ensure the sustainable exploitation of sensitive natural resources;~~deleted

Amendment 41 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Suggests that Member States invest the proceeds from trafficking fines in the protection and conservation of wild flora and fauna;

Amendment 42 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 b (new)

9b. Maintains that illegal fishing is destroying marine ecosystems and biodiversity, having a direct impact in terms of impoverishment of fish stocks, and undermining coastal and island regions;

Amendment 43 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 c (new)

9c. Points out that illegal fishing is estimated to account for 19% of the reported value of catches;

Amendment 44 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10

10. Supports alternative sustainable production methods in order to reduce pressure on wild organisms (e.g. aquaculture); stresses that only marine fishery products of which the legal origin is certified by the flag state or the exporting state may be imported and exported within the EU;

Amendment 45 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10

10. Supports alternative sustainable production methods in order to reduce pressure on wild organisms (e.g. aAquaculture) and calls for appropriate financial support to be granted to production of this kind;

Amendment 46 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10

10. Supports alternative sustainable production methods in order to reduce pressure on wild organisms (e.g. sustainable aquaculture);

Amendment 47 #

Jarosław WAŁĘSA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Points out the key role that coastal communities can play in contributing to the fight against illegal wildlife trade and supports their role in the conservation of wildlife and environmentally friendly activities;

Amendment 48 #

Jarosław WAŁĘSA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 b (new)

10b. Is of the opinion that one of the most powerful tools for addressing illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade is to persuade consumers to make informed choices when buying wildlife-based products, encourages the production and purchase of sustainable marine wildlife goods such as those certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC);

Amendment 49 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11

11. Considers awareness-raising and environmental literacy initiatives to be essential and believes that education systems and the media have a key role to play;

Amendment 5 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Reminds the Commission that aquatic species illegal trafficking also affects the economic development of coastal communities and the environment suitability of our waters;

Amendment 50 #

Rolandas PAKSAS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11

11. Considers awareness-raising and environmental literacy initiatives to be essential, as is the implementation of more targeted initiatives;

Amendment 51 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11

11. Considers awareness-raising and environmental literacy initiatives to be essential for the protection of marine biodiversity;

Amendment 52 #

Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS, Nicola CAPUTO, Renata BRIANO, José BLANCO LÓPEZ, Ulrike RODUST, Carlos ZORRINHO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Reminds that awareness-raising among the citizen regarding the impact of wildlife trafficking and the importance of the traceability of the products is essential in combating illegal activities by reducing their market;

Amendment 53 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 12

12. Advocates introducing Europe- wide recognition for stakeholders who are particularly involved in the fight against illegal trafficking. This could have the form of a prize given to those who are particularly involved, sometimes risking their lives, on fighting wildlife trafficking in land, mountains, lakes, rivers and sea;

Amendment 54 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Regards ‘effective multilateralism’ as one of the cornerstones of the Union’s external action and points out that the Commission regards it as the most participatory, non-discriminatory, and inclusive way to build international governance, in particular with a view to combating wildlife trafficking; stresses, therefore, the need for the Union to play a more prominent role in international bodies;

Amendment 55 #

12a. Proposes that the penalties for wildlife trafficking, especially in areas with vulnerable marine ecosystems or lying within the Natura 2000 network, should be sufficiently severe to deter potential offenders;

Amendment 56 #

Nicola CAPUTO, Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 13

13. ~~Suggests that~~Calls for the action plan ~~should~~to earmark financial resources and set out quantified targets so that the success of the plan can be tracked in the long term.

Amendment 6 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1b. Notes that the European Union’s regulation to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing can only be effective in the long run if information on seafood imports can be shared among the 28 Member States in real time, allowing for cross-checks, verifications and ultimately, a coordinated approach in identifying and blocking suspicious consignments; calls therefore on the Commission to adopt an electronic database of information on imported seafood products in order to prevent potential abuse;

Amendment 7 #

Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS, Nicola CAPUTO, Renata BRIANO, José BLANCO LÓPEZ, Ulrike RODUST, Carlos ZORRINHO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1b. Draws attention to the economic, social and environmental costs of marine species trafficking, which results in marine biodiversity loss, endangers ecosystems, reduces sources of income for those engaged in sustainable fishing and is a threat to health;

Amendment 8 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1b. Recalls that the populations of sturgeon decreased dramatically due to habitat destruction and intense exploitation to meet the demand for caviar; The caviar trade is regulated by CITES and the exploitation of some species is prohibited;

Amendment 9 #