WRITTEN QUESTION E-1859/03 by Proinsias De Rossa (PSE) to the Commission. Hare coursing in Ireland.
Date: 2003-06-03
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Ireland, animal welfare, application of EU law, hunting regulations, protection of animals, transport of animals, wild mammal

C 58 E/104

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

6.3.2004

(2004/C 58 E/119)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1859/03

by Proinsias De Rossa (PSE) to the Commission

(3 June 2003)

Subject: Hare coursing in Ireland

A recent study indicated that the hare (Lepus capensis (europaeus)) population in Northern Ireland had
declined enough to qualify the hare as a ‘species in crisis’ and to suggest the need for the implementation
of a Species Action Plan to protect hares. What are the most recent, independent estimates of the number
of hares on the island of Ireland in the Commission’s possession and will it consider adding hares to the
list of animals protected under the Habitats Directive (cid:1) Directive 92/43/EEC (1)?

In reply to Written Question P-0165/02 (2), the Commission stated that the catching of hares using nets as
reported by the Honourable Member would ‘be contrary to the provisions’ of the Berne Convention on the
Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats which commits signatory states to taking
appropriate and necessary regulatory measures to protect the species and regulating the transport of
captured animals. Is the Commission of the view that the practice of capturing, transporting and coursing
live hares as carried out in Ireland is compatible with this Convention and with the Protocol to the
Amsterdam Treaty which commits the EU to taking due account of the welfare requirements of animals in
the context of EU policies?

Is the Commission of the opinion that the transportation of hares to coursing events in Ireland is
compatible with Council Directive 91/628/EEC (3), as amended by Directive 95/29/EC (4), on the protection
of animals during transport?

(1) OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7.
(2) OJ C 172 E, 18.7.2002, p. 161.
(3) OJ L 340, 11.12.1991, p. 17.
(4) OJ L 148, 30.6.1995, p. 52.

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(23 July 2003)

Of the two species of hares that occur in Ireland, the Brown Hare (Lepus europeaus) is restricted in its area
of distribution to Northern Ireland, where it is considered to have been introduced. This species, occurs
throughout Europe and is not identified as a species of Community interest under Council Directive 92/43/
EEC of 21 May 1992, on the conservation of natural habitat and of wild fauna and flora. Therefore, there
is no legal basis under the Directive for regulating the capture and transport of this species. Management
and conservation of this species is the competence of the relevant authorities in Northern Ireland.

The Mountain Hare (Lepus timidus) has a widespread distribution throughout Ireland. This species is listed
in Annex V of Council Directive 92/43/EEC which provides for Member States, if they deem it necessary in
light of surveillance, to take measures to ensure that taking in the wild of specimens of the species as well
as
is compatible with it being maintained at a favourable conservation status.
The Commission is not aware of any recent changes in the status of this species in Ireland.

its exploitation,

There are at present no plans to amend the Annexes of the Directive in relation to these species of hares.

Lepus timidus and Lepus europeaus are listed in Appendix III of the Berne Convention on the conservation
of European wildlife and natural habitats which requires contracting parties, inter alia, to prohibit the
indiscriminate means of capture and killing and use of means capable of causing local disappearance of, or
serious disturbance to populations of these species. In so far as the practices complained of are not
consistent with these obligations and cannot be justified as an exception in accordance with Article 9 of
the Convention then this is not fully respected.

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 58 E/105

In relation to the Protocol on animal welfare in the Amsterdam Treaty there is no suggestion by the
Honourable Member that Union policies are a factor influencing the practice complained of and therefore
the Protocol would not appear to be relevant in this case.

The Commission is not aware of the exact conditions under which wild hares are transported to coursing
events in Ireland.

Council Directive 91/628/EEC of 18 November 1991 on the protection of animals during transport
(amending Directives 90/425/EEC and 91/496/EEC), as amended by Council Directive 95/29/EC of
29 June 1995, does not apply to transport of animals on journeys of less than 50 kms, transport which is
not of a commercial nature or to transport of any individual animal accompanied by a person who has
responsibility for it during transport. With these exceptions, transport of wild hares would be covered by
the relevant provisions of the Directive relating to ‘other mammals and birds’.

(2004/C 58 E/120)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1863/03

by Bernd Lange (PSE) to the Commission

(6 June 2003)

Subject: Problems in the implementation of the sixth research framework programme owing to auditing

costs

In order to be eligible for reimbursement under the sixth research framework programme, the costs of
integrated projects and networks of excellence must be certified each year by an independent auditor.
The result is that auditing costs are extremely high, and much of the funding provided is not used for
actual research.

Moreover, the way in which public bodies are required to conduct audits is still not sufficiently clear.

Why are partners with small shares in projects not required simply to conduct an audit of the total costs
of the project instead of obtaining an annual certificate, so as to reduce auditing costs?

Can public bodies be exempted from the external certification requirement, or is verification by an
independent expert required here too?

Answer given by Mr Busquin on behalf of the Commission

(25 July 2003)

The Commission fully shares the concern of the Honourable Member to keep the audit certificate costs as
low as possible. Certification by an external auditor of actual expenses incurred, as a condition for their
reimbursement, is a principle established in Article 14 of Regulation (EC) 2321/2002 of the Parliament
and of the Council of 16 December 2002 concerning the rules for the participation of undertakings,
research centres and universities in, and for the dissemination of research results for, the implementation
of the European Community Sixth Framework Programme (2002-2006) (1). The requirement of annual
audit certificates for Networks of Excellence (NoE’s) and Integrated Projects (IP’s) results from the
characteristics of these new instruments, which will involve significant Community contributions and will
last over a number of years.

On the other hand, for other instruments, although an audit certificate will be required at some point, it is
not necessarily annual. This is an issue to be determined in the negotiation between the Commission and
the contractors, depending on the duration of the project, its nature and estimated budget and in respect
of the provisions of the Financial Regulation and its implementing modalities requiring audit certificates in
certain cases.