P6_TA(2004)0014

CITES Convention

European Parliament resolution on the EU strategic objectives for the 13th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the 13th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to be held from 2 to 14 October 2004 in Bangkok, Thailand,

- having regard to Rule 108(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas CITES is the largest global wildlife conservation agreement in existence, preventing the overexploitation due to international trade of wild fauna and flora species, with 166 parties, including the 25 Member States,

B. whereas human consumption of natural resources, habitat destruction, climate change, over-exploitation of wild species and illegal trade in wild fauna and flora are the main causes of the impoverishment of the Earth's biodiversity,

C. whereas public awareness in consumer countries has been and remains essential to the control of poaching and illegal international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora,

D. whereas CITES has a complementary role to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and other fisheries bodies in the conservation of marine fish species which may be threatened by international trade,

E. whereas the International Whaling Commission (IWC), recognised by CITES as the body having authority to regulate the conservation and management of whales, has decreed a worldwide moratorium on commercial whaling,

F. whereas the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals has listed the Great White Shark in CMS Appendices I and II, Australia listed the species in CITES Appendix III in 2001, with reservations from Norway and Japan, and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) has listed the species as "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species since 1996,

G. whereas at the 12th Meeting of the CoP the parties, contrary to the recommendation contained in the European Parliament's resolution of 24 October 2002 on the 12th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) [1], approved a proposal to allow trading in ivory by Botswana, Namibia and South Africa; whereas, however, the conditions laid down in that decision were not fulfilled by the time limit set by the 12th Meeting of the CoP,

1. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to use the precautionary principle as the leading principle for all their decisions on working documents and listing proposals;

2. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that any decisions aimed at enhanced coordination between CITES and other biodiversity-related conventions do not undermine the nature of CITES as a global conservation agreement or the strict conservation measures of CITES;

3. Strongly opposes the use of secret ballots and is disappointed that the CITES Standing Committee has not come forward with proposals to exclude the possibility of using secret voting in the decision-making process of the Convention;

4. Welcomes the proposals by Kenya to establish a 20-year moratorium on all ivory trade, supported inter alia by 12 Central and West African Elephant Range States, which would allow the international community to change the focus of the debate from the ivory trade to the real threats to elephants, their habitats and people's livelihoods; urges the Commission and the Member States to support these proposals;

5. Welcomes the Australian proposal to list the Great White Shark in CITES Appendix II with a zero quota; believes that the precautionary principle requires the adoption of a zero quota until there is sufficient data on its conservation status to support any quota;

6. In line with the Commission's proposal for a mandate for the 13th Meeting of the CoP, supports:

- the recommendations on bushmeat as well as conservation of and trade in great apes;

- the listing of the Humphead Wrasse (Napoleon Fish) in CITES Appendix II;

- the listing of the Mediterranean Date Mussel in CITES Appendix II;

- the proposal on the conservation of the Saiga Antelope;

- the listing of Asian Freshwater Turtles in CITES Appendix II;

- the transfer of Ramin (tropical hardwood) from CITES Appendix III to Appendix II;

7. In addition, urges the Commission and the Member States to support:

- the transfer of the African Lion from CITES Appendix II to Appendix I;

- the transfer of the Irrawaddy Dolphin from CITES Appendix II to Appendix I;

- the listing proposals for endemic reptile species from Madagascar and Kenya;

8. Urges the Commission and the Member States to reject:

- the proposal regarding the IWC as inappropriate for a CITES decision;

- the proposed Memorandum of Understanding between CITES and the FAO;

- the amendment to the export quota of the Black Rhinoceros and the Leopard for Namibia and South Africa that would allow trade in live animals and hunting trophies;

- the amendment to the listings of Namibian and South African Elephant populations in CITES Appendix II to allow commercial trade in ivory, leather and hair goods;

- the transfer of three populations of the Minke Whale from CITES Appendix I to Appendix II;

- the transfer of the Swaziland population of the White Rhinoceros from CITES Appendix I to Appendix II in order to allow trade in live animals and hunting trophies;

9. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to step up international cooperation in the implementation of CITES by providing additional incentives and financial support, particularly for training and technical assistance in species identification and enforcement measures;

10. Recalls that the European Union is one of the largest markets for the illegal wildlife trade and that compliance varies between Member States, and calls on the Commission and Member States to step up coordination of their efforts to enforce EU wildlife trade legislation;

11. Urges those parties to CITES which have not done so to ratify the Gaborone Amendment, which would allow the European Community to become a contracting party to CITES;

12. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the parties to CITES and the CITES Secretariat.

[1] OJ C 300 E, 11.12.2003, p. 621.

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