WRITTEN QUESTION E-1786/01

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(19 June 2001)

Subject: Continuing and growing illegal imports of reptiles from Madagascar

1. Is the Commission aware that the island of Madagascar harbours a unique range of wildlife, and that in particular scorpions, lizards, giant spiders, ploughshare tortoises, radiated tortoises, tiger-pythons and crocodiles live in the remaining 15 % of territory where large-scale deforestation has not yet taken place?

2. Is the Commission also aware that Madagascar lawfully and unlawfully exports large numbers of these exotic species to rich countries, including some within the EU, in particular Germany and the Netherlands, and that capture and transportation entail a very high death-rate, whereas the animals are often abandoned after a time by the households for which they were acquired because they have grown unmanageably large or have fallen sick?

3. Can the Commission confirm that this trade is not confined to isolated or clandestine exceptions but involves millions of animals?

4. Why has the CITES Treaty against trade in exotic species concluded in 1993 between 153 states become practically inoperative? Are there EU Member States that no longer believe in combating this trade or that have rationalised out of existence all or most of the jobs that included responsibility for monitoring it?

5. Is the problem caused in the Commission's opinion by the fact that the Member States do not adopt sufficiently stringent measures to prohibit ownership of certain animals? If so, what action can it take to change that situation?

6. Does the Commission consider that compliance with Regulations (EC) 338/97(1) and (EC) 939/97(2) together with Directive 92/65/EC(3), which are aimed at restricting imports of live animals and subjecting them to conditions, is operating in an acceptable and adequate fashion, and is thus living up to expectation? If not, what aspects of compliance with the rules need to be improved?

7. What action will the Commission take to prevent unlawful imports of tropical animals, in particular reptiles, from continuing and even growing until the animals concerned become extinct in their territories of origin?

Source: Netherlands TV, Zembla current affairs series, 24 May 2001.

(1) OJ L 61, 3.3.1997, p. 1.

(2) OJ L 140, 30.5.1997, p. 9.

(3) OJ L 268, 14.9.1992, p. 54.

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(3 September 2001)

The Commission is fully aware of the rich bio-diversity of Madagascar and the threat which it is under.

Although not yet a Party to the Convention on international Trade in endangered species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the Community fully applies the CITES Convention through Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97 of 9 December 1996 on the protection of species of wild fauna and flora by regulating trade therein. Indeed this Regulation goes further than CITES in imposing strict controls on the importation of threatened species. Under these stricter measures, the importation of some 53 different reptile species from Madagascar has been suspended until it can be shown that trade can be conducted at sustainable levels. In addition, certain reptile species, especially tortoise species from all origins, cannot be imported because of high mortality risk during transport and/or during keeping in captivity(1).

It is the Commission's conviction that the CITES Convention which was established in 1973 and now counts 154 parties, offers an effective tool to bring the concept of sustainable use of wildlife

into practice. As a matter of fact, the aims of the Convention are not against trade in endangered wildlife, but to contribute to the conservation of these species by regulating trade therein, whilst fighting illegal traffic.

In the beginning of this year the Commission funded a workshop in Brussels, organised by the CITES Secretariat, where eleven major wildlife exporting countries, amongst which Madagascar, Party to CITES since 1975, had the occasion to discuss their problems with the implementation of the CITES Convention, striking a balance between benefit from nature for local people and the conservation of species. On this occasion the Madagascarian authorities advised about their efforts to implement CITES in a responsible way, setting export quotas for some species and prohibiting the export of other species and undertook to strenghten their control measures as far as possible in order to combat illegal trade.

With regard to the effectiveness of the Community Regulations and the possibility of prohibiton of ownership of certain wild animals, the Commission would refer the Honourable Member to the last paragraph of its joint answer to his written questions E-238/01, E-239/01 and E-240/01(2).

(1) Commission Regulation (EC) no 191/2001 of 30 January 2001 suspending the introduction into the Community of specimens of certain species of wild fauna and flora (OJ L 29, 31.1.2001).

(2) OJ C 261 E, 18.9.2001, p. 71.