WRITTEN QUESTION E-1786/01 by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Continuing and growing illegal imports of reptiles from Madagascar.
Date: 2001-06-19
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Madagascar, export, illicit trade, international convention, protection of animals, reptile

C 40 E/106

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

14.2.2002

(2002/C 40 E/106)

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?

Is the Commission also aware that Madagascar lawfully and unlawfully exports large numbers of
2.
these exotic species to rich countries,
in particular Germany and the
including some within the EU,
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?

Can the Commission confirm that this trade is not confined to isolated or clandestine exceptions but

3.
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(cid:146)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?

Does the Commission consider that compliance with Regulations (EC) 338/97 (1) and (EC) 939/97 (2)
6.
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, (cid:145)Zembla(cid:146) 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 Wallstr(cid:246)m 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(cid:146)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.

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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.

(2002/C 40 E/107)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1808/01

by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(19 June 2001)

Subject: Illegal excavations and trade in antiquities in the Member States

The catalogue for the exhibition of Minoan antiquities held in the German city of Karlsruhe from
27 January to 29 April 2001 listed Minoan works of art such as vases, copper figurines, seals, necklaces
etc. Eminent archaeologists claim that these objects come from illegal excavations in Crete and were found,
inexplicably, to belong to the (cid:145)collection(cid:146) of an antique-shop owner in the Swiss city of Basle.

What is the Commission(cid:146)s position on illegal excavations and the trade in antiquities, which have become
endemic in countries with large quantities of antiquities such as Greece and Italy? How can these
phenomena (cid:129) which is tantamount to looting the cultural treasures of our continent (cid:129) be stopped? Does
the Commission have any data to indicate the extent of illegal excavations and trade in antiquities in
Greece?

What immediate measures could it take to stem the flow of cultural artefacts into private collections
without the knowledge of the countries of origin of those artefacts? Is it true that the European Union
collects revenue from value added tax of 2,5 % from the sale of antiquities? Does the Commission check
whether that tax also comes from the sale of objects which have been illegally excavated and traded?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(11 September 2001)

The Commission does not have detailed statistics but is informed and aware of the effects that illegal
excavations and trafficking in antiquities have on the heritage of the Member States, especially in southern
Europe. But it must emphasise that protection of the cultural heritage,
including the protection of
monuments and sites, is a matter for the Member States, Community action being confined to a support
and backup function.

The Commission notes that there are great disparities between the Member States as regards the means
and structures for combating illegal trafficking in cultural goods and that this is an area that does not yet
enjoy the priority it deserves in the fight against organised crime and criminal gangs.