WRITTEN QUESTION E-2632/02 by Elspeth Attwooll (ELDR) to the Commission. CITES — Ivory trade.
Date: 2002-09-18
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Africa, international meeting, market approval, marketing restriction, material of animal origin, protection of animal life, slaughter of animals, wild mammal

C 52 E/192

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

6.3.2003

(2003/C 52 E/212)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2624/02

by Markus Ferber (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(18 September 2002)

Subject: Transposition of the new Postal Services Directive 2002/39/EC

This Spring, the new European Parliament and Council directive 2002/39/EC (1), amending Directive 97/
67/EC (2) with regard to the further opening to competition of Community postal services, was adopted.
The Member States must transpose this new Directive into national law by 31 December 2003.

Does the Commission possess any information about the stage which transposition has reached? May we
assume that the Member States will transpose the directive within the time limit?

Is the Commission aware which of the Member States intend to reserve outgoing cross-border postal
services?

Are these Member States required to prove separately to the Commission that the continued reservation of
outgoing cross-border post is necessary?

(1) OJ L 176, 5.7.2002, p. 21.
(2) OJ L 15, 21.1.1998, p. 14.

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(16 October 2002)

The Commission is monitoring the transposition of Directive 2002/39/EC of the Parliament and of the
Council of 10 June 2002 amending Directive 97/67/EC with regard to the further opening to competition
of Community postal services, in Member States. At the moment, it has no evidence to suggest that any of
the Member States will not be ready by the implementation deadline, although it appears that national
parliamentary procedures may be a source of possible delays.

With regard to the reservation of outgoing cross-border mail, at present the Commission has indications
that one Member State (Luxembourg) intends to continue to reserve this mail segment.

The Commission will verify compliance of the national transposition measures with the new Directive,
particularly any reservation of outgoing cross-border mail, in the light of the criteria established in the
Directive.

Such results will only be known in 2003. The Commission will keep the Parliament informed about its
findings.

(2003/C 52 E/213)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2632/02

by Elspeth Attwooll (ELDR) to the Commission

(18 September 2002)

Subject: CITES (cid:1) Ivory trade

Since CITES downlisted a number of elephant populations in 1997, thus re-opening some ivory trade from
Africa,
it is estimated that thousands of elephants are still being poached within Africa. Would the
Commission confirm what position it and the EU Member States will take at the forthcoming Santiago
meeting of CITES in relation to the proposal by India and Kenya to reinstate a full ban on the trade in
ivory?

6.3.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 52 E/193

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(17 October 2002)

The position to be taken regarding proposals for the next Conference of the Parties to the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) will be decided by the Environment Council on
17 October 2002.

The extent of ivory trade resulting from the downlisting of certain elephant populations under CITES in
1997 is extremely limited. A one-off commercial sale of ivory stocks to Japan took place and limited trade
in ivory products for non-commercial purposes is allowed. Following a subsequent Conference of the
Parties, African elephant populations in four southern African countries are now listed on Appendix II of
CITES, with a zero quota for ivory (i.e. no exports for commercial purposes are allowed). A programme
entitled Monitoring Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) is ongoing to establish a basis for assessing the
impact of ivory trade on illegal killing. The Commission has contributed funds to this programme.
However, as yet the programme has not gathered sufficient data to draw firm conclusions.

Regarding the proposal by India and Kenya to list all African elephant populations on Appendix I, this is
not supported by the relevant scientific criteria. Elephant populations in the southern African range States
are generally in a healthy condition and they are also judged to meet the criteria for split-listing (i.e. for
listing separate populations of a species on different Appendices of CITES). Furthermore, it has not been
proven that the proposal will result in real improvement in the protection currently afforded to elephants.

That said, in the absence of sufficient data from MIKE, the Commission remains to be convinced that
further commercial trade in ivory (cid:1) as proposed by some southern African countries (cid:1) will not have a
negative impact on the level of illegal killing in other regions.

The Commission is anxious that the final outcome of the conference with regard to this issue should
command the support of as many range States as possible and will endeavour to assist in every possible
way to this effect.

(2003/C 52 E/214)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2634/02

by Brian Simpson (PSE) to the Commission

(18 September 2002)

Subject: Destruction of Europe’s heritage by the Belgian Railway

Is the Commission aware that the Belgian National Railway (SNCB/NMBS) has destroyed an old and
important railway locomotive class 44 number 44 201 built in 1906 even though its major parts were still
in working order?

Can the Commission confirm that such destruction of Europe’s railway heritage amounts to a deliberate
act of vandalism and is to be condemned?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(24 October 2002)

Article 151 of the EC Treaty provides that the Community may take action to:

(cid:1) encourage cultural cooperation between Member States;

(cid:1) support and supplement Member States’ actions (financially if necessary) in the following areas:

(cid:1) improvement of the knowledge and dissemination of the culture and history of the European

peoples;

(cid:1) conservation and safeguarding of cultural heritage of European significance;