WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2236/97 by Patricia McKENNA to the Commission. Ireland's failure to ratify CITES
Date: 1997-07-02
Institutions: European Parliament, MCKENNA
Subjects: Ireland, accession to an agreement, agreement (EU), animal life, application of EU law, international trade, plant life, protected species

22. 1. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 21/145

a factor contributing to situations of instability, reaffirm their commitment to exercise the utmost restraint with
regard to arms exports.(cid:146) On the subject of United States military aid, information supplied by the US authorities
is to the effect that their country is prepared to help the Democratic Republic of the Congo to reform its armed
forces in order to turn them into a multi-ethnic professional army tasked with the defence of the national territory.
Military aid would take the form of institutional support i.e. the provision of experts.

In  agreement  with  the  Member  States  the  Commission(cid:146)s  policy  is  aimed  at  full  cooperation  by  the  new
authorities with the humanitarian aid agencies in searching for and repatriating refugees and displaced persons.
Furthermore,  it  has  called  on  the  Congolese  authorities  to  allow  the  United  Nations  fact-finding  mission
complete freedom to enquire into accusations of violent extortion and of massacres of Rwandan refugees in the
Congo. Rehabilitation programmes and full cooperation can resume as soon as there is practical confirmation of
the new authorities(cid:146) willingness to respect human rights, restart the democratisation process and establish a State
in which the rule of law prevails.

The United States was informed in the course of the regular dialogue with that country of the fact that this policy,
referred to in the conclusions of the Amsterdam European Council, had been adopted.

(98/C 21/269)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2236/97

by Patricia McKenna (V) to the Commission

(2 July 1997)

Subject: Ireland(cid:146)s failure to ratify CITES

Ireland  is  the  only  EU  country  which  has  not  yet  ratified  the  UN  Convention  on  the  International  Trade  in
Endangered Species (CITES).

Has the Commission sought any explanation from the Irish authorities about this matter? What responses have
been given by the Irish authorities?

Is the Commission monitoring how the EU states which have ratified the convention are enforcing its provisions?
Is it satisfied with the enforcement of its provisions by Member States? Has it published any reports about such
monitoring?

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission

(16 July 1997)

The  Commission  has  indeed  insisted  on  the  accession  by  Ireland  to  the  convention  on  international  trade  in
endangered  species  of  wild  fauna  and  flora  (CITES)  since  the  entry  into  force  of  Council  Regulation  (EEC)
No 3626/82 (1) on the implementation of CITES.

In  December  1996,  the  minister  for  arts,  culture  and  the  Gaeltacht  confirmed  Ireland’s  commitment  to  its
accession to the convention and its intention to do so this year following enactment of a bill to amend the Wildlife
Act 1976.

The  Commission  monitors  the  implementation  and  enforcement  by  Member  States  of  the  1982  Regulation
mentioned above and its successor, Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97 (2), which entered into force on 1 June
1997.  The  Commission  has  been  generally  satisfied  with  Member  States’  performance  under  the  1982
Regulation,  but  expects  the  1997  Regulation  to  bring  important  improvement  in  both  implementation  and
enforcement.

The old Regulation did not contain a provision for reports on implementation, unlike the new one. The latter
provides, in its Article 15.4(c) and (d), for biennial reports on implementation and enforcement. The first of these
reports has to be drawn up before 31 October 1999.

(1)  OJ L 384, 31.12.1982.
(2)  OJ L 61, 3.3.1997.