Awaiting committee decision
Role | Committee | Rapporteur | Shadows |
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Opinion | DEVE | HAYES Brian (EPP) | |
Lead | ENVI | BEARDER Catherine (ALDE) | PETIR Marijana (EPP), MELIOR Susanne (S&D), OMARJEE Younous (GUE/NGL), TAYLOR Keith (Verts/ALE), D'ORNANO Mireille (ENF) |
Opinion | IMCO | ||
Opinion | INTA | MCCLARKIN Emma (ECR) | |
Opinion | JURI | CHRYSOGONOS Kostas (GUE/NGL) | |
Opinion | PECH | SERRÃO SANTOS Ricardo (S&D) |
Legal Basis RoP 052
Activites
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2016/05/12
Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
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2016/02/26
Non-legislative basic document published
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COM(2016)0087
summary
PURPOSE: to propose EU action plan against trafficking in wildlife. BACKGROUND: wildlife trafficking – particularly in elephants and rhinos, corals, pangolins, tigers and great apes - has become one of the world's most profitable organised crimes. As an example, the illicit ivory trade has more than doubled since 2007, and is over three times greater than it was in 1998. Between 2007 and 2013, rhino poaching increased by 7000% in South Africa, endangering the very survival of this species. Sources estimate the profits from such trafficking at between EUR 8 and EUR 20 billion annually. 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. Numerous measures to combat wildlife trafficking have been adopted under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), a key international treaty regulating the international trade in wildlife, to which the EU became a party in 2015. The EU has already shown leadership in tackling the illegal trade in natural resources by adopting ambitious policies on timber and fishery products. The European Parliament called for an Action Plan in a resolution adopted in January 2014. The establishment of an EU Action Plan has also been supported by many EU Member States, international organisations, NGOs, and concerned businesses at a stakeholder consultation on the EU approach against wildlife trafficking, launched by the Commission in February 2014. CONTENT: 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 wildlife. It is a major contribution towards the Sustainable Development Goals set under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development agreed by heads of state at a UN summit in September 2015. The EU Action Plan comprises a series of measures to be taken by EU institutions and/or Member States. It provides the impetus and framework for making better use of existing EU resources. The measures are essentially designed to improve cooperation between all the players concerned, make more effective use of existing tools and policies, and strengthen synergies between them, so that wildlife trafficking can be better tackled across the EU and globally. The measures, which are designed to address a complex problem holistically by involving all relevant organisations, are based on three priorities: 1) Preventing wildlife trafficking and addressing its root causes: reduce the demand for and the supply of illegal wildlife products, both within the EU and globally, by supporting specific campaigns and further limiting ivory trade within and from the EU ; ensure that rural communities in source countries are more engaged in wildlife conservation, and that they benefit more from it; engage more actively with relevant business sectors, ranging from those active in wildlife trade or using wildlife products to those that provide services to the trade; take multilateral and bilateral measures to tackle corruption, a crucial enabling factor for wildlife trafficking throughout the enforcement chain. 2) Implementing and enforcing existing rules and combating organised wildlife crime more effectively: review shortcomings in implementation for all Member States, and develop strategies for tackling them, to ensure that existing rules are enforced more consistently across the EU; strengthen the strategic aspect of checks and enforcement by setting enforcement priorities jointly and having Europol and Eurojust provide dedicated support for cross-border cases; boost the capacity of all links in the enforcement chain and the judiciary to take effective action against wildlife trafficking in the EU. By improving inter-agency data flow and by sharing best practice at EU level; ensure targeted awareness-raising amongst specialists on organised crime, cybercrime and money laundering; ensure that Member States’ laws on organised crime cover wildlife trafficking and that appropriate penalties can be imposed for trafficking ; improve international cooperation on enforcement through participation in international law enforcement operations, technical assistance and targeted financial support. 3) Strengthening the global partnership of source, consumer and transit countries against wildlife trafficking: take measures to step up funding to support developing countries in their efforts to combat wildlife trafficking; use more efficiently the diplomatic tools of the EU and its Member States and other tools, notably EU trade policy, in relations with key source, transit and consumer countries and relevant regional organisations; develop better tools to tackle the links between wildlife trafficking and security that exist in some regions; use the existing multilateral processes, in international agreements and fora, to keep the issue on the global agenda. Monitoring and evaluation: the Action Plan covers the five years from 2016 to 2020. The Commission services and the EEAS will establish a scoreboard to monitor implementation. The Commission will report to the Council and the European Parliament by July 2018 on implementation of the action plan, Progress made and the success of the action plan in curbing wildlife trafficking will be evaluated in 2020. On that basis, the Commission will consider what further action is needed. The Action Plan will supersede Commission Recommendation No 2007/425/EC identifying a set of actions for the enforcement of Regulation (EC) No 338/97 on the protection of species of wild fauna and flora by regulating trade therein.
- DG {'url': 'http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/environment/', 'title': 'Environment'}, VELLA Karmenu
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COM(2016)0087
summary
Documents
- Non-legislative basic document published: COM(2016)0087
Amendments | Dossier |
136 |
2016/2076(INI)
2016/07/14
JURI
72 amendments...
Amendment 1 #
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
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion Recital C C. whereas an action plan at European level to address the issue of
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
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 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 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), while respecting the principle of subsidiarity;
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion Recital F F. whereas, in view of the uniquely cross-border nature of wildlife trafficking offences,
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
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
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1.
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 need
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 #
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,
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
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
Amendment 43 #
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, animal protection associations and sanitary and trade inspection authorities;
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 #
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 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
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
Amendment 61 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. Considers that the fight against wildlife trafficking can be advanced by instruments of soft law; notes
Amendment 62 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. Considers that in the fight against wildlife trafficking
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
Amendment 67 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 6. Calls on the Commission to take steps towards establishing common
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
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
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion Recital B B. whereas wildlife protection can, however, have a considerable price for local communities, as
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion Recital B B. whereas
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) 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 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 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 20 #
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 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
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
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 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 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.
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) 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 50 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Stresses the need to responsibly manage the risks associated with combating poaching
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
Amendment 54 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Calls for actions that enable local actors to directly benefit from engaging in wildlife protection,
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
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 B. whereas
source: 585.605
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