Animal welfare and dolphinariums
20.3.2014
Question for written answer E-003361-14
to the Commission
Rule 117
Sandrine Bélier (Verts/ALE)
The issue of animal welfare is at the heart of the European Treaties: like Article 13 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, they provide that it must be taken into account in a number of EU policies. Other legislation — such as Directive 1999/22/EC of 29 March 1999 relating to the keeping of wild animals in zoos and Regulation (EC) No 338 /97 on the protection of species of wild fauna and flora by regulating trade therein — covers this topic without linking it to the Treaties, and extends its scope to cover wild animals.
As part of the implementation of its 2012-2015 Strategy on Animal Welfare, the Commission intends to propose a new directive on the subject. Commissioner Tonio Borg himself repeatedly stressed this in his speech before the Parliament European’s Intergroup on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals and during the press conference of 18 December 2013.
Furthermore, a study prepared in 2011 by the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society points out that many breaches of Directive 1999/22/EC have been recorded at European dolphinariums. This situation, if it turns out to be true, would violate the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the relevant European legislation.
In view of the above, will the Commission say:
- 1.How does it intend to act to promote the accession of the European Union to CITES by 2015, the 40th anniversary of the entry into force of this text internationally?
- 2.Will it adopt a position on the issue of granting legal status to animals when it tables its proposal for a directive on animal welfare in 2015?
- 3.Does it intend to strengthen controls on and penalties for breaches of Directive 1999/22/EC by economic operators?
OJ C 341, 30/09/2014