European Parliament declaration on rising international concern over the farming of bear bile in China
Date: 2006-01-17
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: China, animal welfare, international cooperation, livestock farming, protection of animals, wild mammal

24.11.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 287 E/89

Tuesday, 17 January 2006

Further insists that no modified charging scheme should be agreed to replace the current overflight

12.
charging regime.

13. Calls on the Commission not to conclude an agreement on the Russian Federation's accession to the
World Trade Organisation while Russia continues to charge for Siberian overflights.

In this context asks the Commission to evaluate all arguments related to modernisation, capital
14.
investment and technical requirements in the links between the European Union's and Russia's aviation
industries and their differences over overflight charging.

China and Russia

15.
Emphasises that negotiations can only be successfully concluded with both China and Russia if stake-
holders are able to advise the Commission and are fully apprised of the progress of negotiations and the
positions adopted therein;

16.
Insists that no mandate should be granted which does not inexorably link increased access to both
China's and Russia's markets to the creation of a ‘level playing field’ through the convergence of operating
standards in the areas of air traffic control and management, staff training and operating standards and
aviation security and safety; insists that the principle of reciprocity be applied;

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17.

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission.

P6_TA(2006)0008

Farming of bear bile in China

European Parliament declaration on rising international concern over the farming of bear bile in
China

The European Parliament,

— having regard to Rule 116 of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas 7002 Asiatic Black Bears (Moon Bears) are currently ‘milked’ for their bile in China; whereas
these bears are endangered, featuring in the list in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES),

B. whereas new ‘humane’ bile extraction methods continue to cause agonising suffering and the death of

bears on Chinese farms, with at least one new method directly contravening new regulations,

C. welcoming the acknowledgement by eminent practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine of the exis-

tence of at least 54 herbal alternatives to bear bile, together with a synthetic version,

D. welcoming the action taken by the Chinese Government since 2000 in closing over 40 bear farms and

confiscating 188 bears into the care of the Animals Asia Foundation (AAF),

E. noting the serious concern, internationally and within the Chinese media, public and Government, at

the fact that such a cruel and uncivilised practice exists,

C 287 E/90

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

24.11.2006

Tuesday, 17 January 2006

1. Calls on the Chinese Government to take account of this grave worldwide concern as the 2008
Beijing Olympics approach, by taking a clear stance on bear farming, initiating a countrywide ban forth-
with on the breeding of bears on farms and setting a time-limit for the ending of bear farming;

2. Requests that the Chinese Government liaise with the AAF in accelerating the closure of all bear farms
through programmes benefiting bears currently held captive and farmers reliant on the industry; calls also
for cooperation with the AAF in developing far-reaching education programmes to deter consumers of
bear bile;

Instructs its President to forward this declaration, together with the names of the signatories, to the

3.
Council, the Commission, the Member States and the competent Chinese authorities.

Signatories

Adamou, Allister, Alvaro, Andersson, Andrejevs, Andrikienė, Arnaoutakis, Ashworth, Atkins, Attwooll,
Audy, Auken, Aylward, Ayuso González, Bachelot-Narquin, Battilocchio, Batzeli, Beazley, Becsey, Beer,
Belet, Bennahmias, Beňová, Berger, Berman, Birutis, Bösch, Bonde, Booth, Bowis, Bowles, Bozkurt,
Bradbourn, Braghetto, Brejc, Brepoels, Breyer, Březina, Brok, Brunetta, van Buitenen, Buitenweg, Bullmann,
van den Burg, Bushill-Matthews, Busk, Busuttil, Callanan, Camre, Capoulas Santos, Casa, Casaca, Cashman,
Chichester, Claeys, Coelho, Corbett, Corbey, Correia, Cottigny, Coveney, Cramer, Crowley, Czarnecki M.,
Davies, de Brún, Degutis, Demetriou, Deprez, De Rossa, Dess, Deva, De Vits, Dimitrakopoulos, Di Pietro,
Dobolyi, Doorn, Dover, Doyle, Drčar Murko, Duchoň, Duff, Duka-Zólyomi, Duquesne, Ebner, Ek, Elles,
Esteves, Estrela, Ettl, Eurlings, Evans Jillian, Evans Jonathan, Evans Robert, Falbr, Fazakas, Ferber, Fernandes,
Ferreira A., Ferreira E., Foglietta, Foltyn-Kubicka, Ford, Frassoni, Friedrich, Gahler, Gál, Gaľa, García-
Margallo y Marfil, García Pérez, Gebhardt, Geringer de Oedenberg, Gill, Glattfelder, Goepel, Gollnisch,
Gomes, Goudin, Grabowska, Gröner, de Groen-Kouwenhoven, Guidoni, Hall, Hammerstein Mintz,
Handzlik, Hannan, Harangozó, Harbour, Harkin, Harms, Hassi, Hatzidakis, Heaton-Harris, Hedh, Hedkvist
Petersen, Helmer, Hennicot-Schoepges, Herczog, Herranz García, Higgins, Hökmark, Honeyball,
Hoppenstedt, Horáček, Howitt, Hudacký, Hudghton, Hughes, in 't Veld, Isler Béguin, Jackson, Janowski,
Járóka, Jarzembowski, Jeggle, Joan i Marí, Jöns, Jørgensen, Jordan Cizelj, Juknevičienė, Kacin, Kaczmarek,
Kallenbach, Kamall, Kamiński, Karim, Kasoulides, Kaufmann, Kauppi, Kelam, Kilroy-Silk, Kinnock,
Kirkhope, Klamt, Knapman, Koch, Konrad, Korhola, Kósáné Kovács, Koterec, Krahmer, Kreissl-Dörfler, Kuc,
Kuhne, Kułakowski, Kusstatscher, Kużmiuk, Lamassoure, Lambert, Lambrinidis, Lambsdorff, Landsbergis,
Laperrouze, Lehne, Leichtfried, Leinen, Le Pen J.-M., Le Rachinel, Lévai, Libicki, Lichtenberger, Liotard,
Locatelli, Lucas, Ludford, Lulling, Lundgren, Lynne, Maat, Maaten, McAvan, McCarthy, McDonald,
McGuinness, McMillan-Scott, Madeira, Malmström, Manders, Mann T., Marques, Martin D., Martinez,
Masiel, Mastenbroek, Mathieu, Matsakis, Mayer, Meijer, Méndez de Vigo, Mikko, Mitchell, Mölzer, Moraes,
Morgan, Morgantini, Mote, Mulder, Musacchio, Muscardini, Muscat, Musotto, Musumeci, Myller,
Napoletano, Nattrass, Navarro, Newton-Dunn, Nicholson, Niebler, van Nistelrooij, Novak, Öger, Özdemir,
Olajos, Ó Neachtain, Onesta, Ortuondo Larrea, Ouzký, Paasilinna, Paleckis, Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou,
Parish, Pflüger, Piecyk, Pieper, Pīks, Pinior, Piotrowski, Pleštinská, Podestà, Podkański, Poettering, Pomés
Ruiz, Posselt, Prets, Purvis, Queiró, Radwan, Rasmussen, Reynaud, Resetarits, Ribeiro e Castro, Ries, Riis-
Jørgensen, Rogalski, Roithová, Romagnoli, Romeva i Rueda, Roth-Behrendt, Rothe, Rouček, Roure, Rübig,
Rühle, Rutowicz, Ryan, Sacconi, Sakalas, Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra, Samuelsen, Sánchez Presedo, dos
Santos, Sartori, Savary, Savi, Scheele, Schenardi, Schlyter, Schmidt, Schnellhardt, Schöpflin, Schroedter,
Seeber, Seeberg, Segelström, Seppänen, Silva Peneda, Sinnott, Sjöstedt, Skinner, Smith, Sommer, Sornosa
Martínez, Sousa Pinto, Staes, Starkevičiūtė, Stenzel, Sterckx, Stevenson, Stihler, Strejček, Stubb, Sturdy,
Sudre, Sumberg, Svensson, Swoboda, Szájer, Takkula, Tannock, Tarabella, Tarand, Titley, Toubon,
Trakatellis, Triantaphyllides, Turmes, Tzampazi, Uca, Ulmer, Vanhecke, Van Lancker, Van Orden, Varela
Suanzes-Carpegna, Vatanen, Vidal-Quadras Roca, Vlasto, Voggenhuber, Wagenknecht, Wallis, Watson,
Weber H., Weber M., Weisgerber, Westlund, Whitehead, Wijkman, Wojciechowski J., Wynn, Zahradil,
Zaleski, Zapałowski, Zappala', Ždanoka, Zīle, Zimmer, Zvěřina