WRITTEN QUESTION E-0238/01 by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Exotic animal species: closure of Netherlands borders to imports from outside Europe.
Date: 2001-02-07
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Netherlands, animal life, cross-border transport, domestic animal, import, transport of animals, veterinary inspection

C 261 E/70

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.9.2001

The Council agrees with these views and does not see fit to comment further.

As for the last question of the Honourable Member,
it is clear that the complete truth about what
happened in Racak will be established, by ICTY, after careful investigation and on the basis of all elements
including the forensic expert(cid:146)s report. Only ICTY can judge the circumstances of and
at its disposal,
responsibility for this atrocious episode of recent European history.

(2001/C 261 E/072)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0238/01

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(7 February 2001)

Subject: Exotic animal species: closure of Netherlands borders to imports from outside Europe

1.
Is the Commission aware of the growing demand for monkeys, large parrots, song birds, iguanas,
tortoises, snakes and salt-water fishes from outside Europe by persons intending to keep such animals as
household pets?

2.
Is the Commission aware that the KLM airline has refused, since the shredding of 440 striped
Chinese squirrels in 1999, to transport any more exotic species, and that this is one of the reasons why the
(cid:145)Aeroground Services(cid:146) firm based at Schiphol airport went out of business on 1 January 2001.

3.
Is the Commission further aware that the Netherlands government department responsible for testing
livestock and meat products ceased, as of 2001, to monitor animal welfare and the spread of diseases, but
is responsible for the temporary reception of animals and their return to a destination outside the
European Union at the importers(cid:146) expense?

4.
Is it true, as claimed by the Netherlands (cid:145)Dibevo(cid:146) animal trading organisation that European rules
require Member States each to operate at least one testing centre for their home territory, and does the
Netherlands no longer comply with that requirement now that intercontinental access via Schiphol has
been discontinued, although the external-boundary inspection centre at the Maastricht-Aachen regional
airport is being maintained?

5.
Has the Commission now received a request from the Netherlands government for a procedure to be
initiated withdrawing recognition of Schiphol as an external-boundary inspection centre for the purpose of
importing exotic species?

(2001/C 261 E/073)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0239/01

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(7 February 2001)

Subject: Exotic animal species: inadvertent increase in transport time and higher death rate

1.
Is the Commission familiar with reports to the effect that action by the Netherlands government
aimed at saving exotic animals from poor survival prospects during transportation and intolerable living
conditions thereafter can easily be evaded because no customs inspections are carried out at internal
borders?

2.
How does the Commission assess the report than Netherlands animal dealers are now importing
exotic species through the Brussels and Frankfurt airports and then further transporting them over land,
with the result that the animals have to be overloaded, the journey now takes twice as long, and many
more animals are dying during transportation than hitherto?