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Utorak, 4. listopada 2022. - Strasbourg

8. Ključni ciljevi za 19. sastanak Konferencije stranaka CITES-a u Panami (rasprava)

  President. – The next item is the debate on two oral questions on key objectives for the CITES CoP19 meeting in Panama (2022/2681(RSP)):

– the oral question to the Council on key objectives for the CITES CoP19 by Pascal Canfin, on behalf of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (O-000038/2022 - B9-0023/2022); and

– the oral question to the Commission on key objectives for the CITES CoP19 by Pascal Canfin, on behalf of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (O-000039/2022 - B9-0024/2022).

  Anja Hazekamp, author. – Madam President, I welcome the Commissioner and the Minister. In these times of climate and environmental crisis, we need to urgently step up the protection of the most endangered animals and plants. Crucially, this means that we need to protect more species via the annexes of the CITES convention, and we need to increase enforcement and tackle wildlife crime. I am very glad that my colleagues in the Environment Committee supported the proposal to write this ambitious resolution. This ambition is much needed because, all too often, the European Union made poor choices during the CITES negotiations. CITES was designed to maintain commercial trade in specimens of wild animals and plants, rather than protect them. However, shouldn't CITES regulate the trade, instead of stimulating it?

Today, I would like to focus on the role that the European Union plays. The EU's position is often the key reason for the failure of many CITES proposals. One would hope, with this Commission's loudly trumpeted commitments to halting biodiversity loss, that there would be greater support for the range states when they are making a desperate bid to protect their native wildlife populations at the upcoming CITES CoP. Why doesn't the Commission support the range states’ proposals? For instance, proposals to protect the hippo and the elephant.

At the last CoP, the Commission refused to support the uplisting of the African elephant to Appendix I. Now, six years later, the situation with some of the African elephant populations is dramatic.

At this moment, 10 range states have proposed to transfer the common hippo to CITES Appendix I. These West African countries are bearing direct witness to the decline of this iconic species, and yet the Commission thinks that it knows better and seems determined to not support the hippo uplisting proposal. This Parliament, however, noted the African nations’ concerns and is voicing its support for ending the commercial trade in hippo products in this resolution. We recognise that this will throw a lifeline to the species, which is jeopardised not only by habitat loss and climate change, but also by the trade in its tusks and teeth for ivory. I urge the Commission and Member States to support this hippo proposal. Do not make the same mistake as you made with the African elephant.

The same can be said for the proposal to list glass frogs on CITES Appendix II. These amphibians are becoming increasingly popular in the exotic pet trade. They are protected in many range states, but are collected and traded illegally. Also, these species fell victim to the EU's position at the last CoP.

We know that we can really make a difference when the EU steps up its action. For example, six years ago, the Morocco and the European Union promoted together the listing of the Barbary macaque. This has already borne fruit: we are now seeing the stronghold population in the Atlas Mountains recovering. Staying on the subject of the exotic pet trade, it is good that this resolution reiterates Parliament's support for an EU—wide positive list. This would also limit the number of wild species that can be kept by private owners and thereby reduce a huge amount of animal suffering of species that are unsuitable to be kept as pets.

I urge my colleagues to support the text as agreed by the Environment Committee.

I am hoping that the Commission listens to these and Parliament’s other demands and soon delivers a revised action plan against wildlife trafficking, with real teeth and the funding to be able to tackle the overexploitation of other species. We need to increase enforcement and penalties for wildlife crime and decrease the demand for products from endangered species, particularly hunting trophies and traditional medicines. I'm looking forward to hearing the response of the Council and the Commission to the crucial points I raised and also to hear their answers to ENVI’s questions, in particular, the need to address the link between wildlife trade and the risk of zoonotic pandemics. I would like to hear from the presidency about what they will do to make sure that this CoP, as well as those on climate and biodiversity, will deliver the success that we so desperately need to protect our planet.

I would like to thank, lastly, all the ENVI shadows for the great collaboration on this resolution and look forward to its adoption tomorrow.

  Mikuláš Bek, President-in-Office of the Council. – Madam President, honourable Members, Commissioner, thank you for inviting me to this debate.

We are witnessing an unprecedented global decline of nature. This is threatening around 1 million animal and plant species with extinction, and it is the direct result of human activity.

Reversing this trend is a major objective for the European Union and its Member States. We believe that CITES is a key international convention for biodiversity conservation and a valuable instrument for our efforts to fight wildlife trafficking.

The Council aims to adopt an ambitious position for CITES CoP19 in line with relevant Union policies and international commitments. As you know, the Union has submitted 13 of 52 proposals for amending the CITES’ appendices that have been tabled for consideration at CoP19.

Our listing proposals are based on scientific criteria, the conservation status of the species concerned and the impact that trade has on the status of that species. We will do our utmost to gather support for these proposals and have them adopted by the CoP19 in Panama.

CITES also plays a very important role in the conservation of forests, and we support stronger and more consistent action between CITES and other forest-related organisations and processes. We have also proposed to add listing of additional tree species under CITES at COP 19.

In addition, the EU supports better protection through CITES of species which are imported to the EU illegally or at unsustainable levels, including various species of reptiles and amphibians, in particular several species of turtles imported to the EU as pets.

As I stated before, strengthening the global response to wildlife trafficking is a major priority for the EU, and we have done much in the context of the EU action plan against wildlife trafficking to address root causes, improve enforcement and strengthen the global partnership of source, consumer and transit countries.

This comprehensive approach should be reflected in the mandate for CoP19. In particular, addressing elephant poaching and ivory trafficking remains a priority for the EU, and our intention for CoP19 is to focus on promoting actions that directly address this problem and on harmonising the conditions for trade in live African elephants.

The COVID-19 pandemic has drawn considerable public attention to global wildlife trade because of the risk it poses for the emergence and spread of zoonotic diseases. And I know you are very attentive to these aspects. We acknowledge the role of CITES’ place in accordance with its mandate in reducing potential risks to the health of animals and people.

However, this is a broader issue that requires collaboration of various organisations dealing with animal or public health, trade, food and transport in line with the one health approach. We strongly support the renewed commitment between the World Organisation for Animal Health and the CITES to work together on animal health and welfare issues worldwide to safeguard biodiversity and protect animals.

Let me assure you that the Presidency, together with the Commission and the Member States, is determined to take an active role to ensure that CITES continues to be an effective tool in attaining its main objectives: the conservation and sustainable management of our natural resources.

We are therefore prepared to conduct the upcoming deliberations in a spirit of cooperation, mutual understanding and joint interests in the protection of species that are threatened by trade in order to maintain a diverse and healthy environment for our future generations.

  Helena Dalli, Member of the Commission. – Madam President, Minister, honourable Members, 2022 is a key year for reinforcing our commitment towards preserving biodiversity. With the Biodiversity CoP 15 in December and the CITES CoP 19 a month before, we have a unique opportunity to shape global efforts to halt and reverse the continued destruction of nature.

The international trade in wild animals and plants is estimated to be worth billions of euros annually and includes thousands of different fauna and flora species. This trade plays an important role in many economies. It ranges from live animals and plants to products derived from them, including food, leather goods, timber and medicines. At the same time, however, we must regulate the international wildlife trade effectively to ensure its sustainability, and to ensure it is consistent with the fight against species extinction. The EU has been actively engaged in advocating for strict global rules on wildlife trade and in the implementation of CITES through the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations. The Commission has also been actively promoting strong EU—wide enforcement of the rules.

Let me now reply more specifically to your three questions. The EU’s main objective for the upcoming CoP 19 in Panama in November is to extend the CITES scope to additional species threatened by international trade. This would be done by including them in the CITES appendices when the relevant criteria are met. For this purpose, the EU has proposed to include a number of animal and plant species in the CITES appendices, and namely several timber and marine species, but also reptile and amphibian species. Demand for some of these species in the EU is significant. So by making proposals for listing, we take responsibility for ensuring that trade is sustainable. We count on partner countries to support the EU proposals.

A second priority is to ensure that the rules in place are transparent and uniformly understood and interpreted. For instance, trade in live elephants can only take place in limited circumstances based on the CITES framework and on transparent and robust scientific scrutiny. The EU has proposed to clarify the framework to ensure that it is as rigorous and as effective as possible. The EU will also continue to encourage building capacities of relevant authorities and strengthening cooperation between source, transit and destination countries.

As regards your second question, the Commission acknowledges that international trade in wildlife may pose a risk for the emergence of zoonotic diseases. At the international level, the EU fully supports the CITES Secretariat in its partnership with the World Organisation for Animal Health and sees the need for CITES to act within its mandate to limit the risks of the transmission of zoonotic diseases in the context of wildlife trade. The Commission has been supporting projects aiming to explore the links between the transmission of zoonotic diseases and trade in wildlife and to limit the risk of these transmissions.

Turning to your last question, we will soon publish the evaluation of the 2016 action plan against wildlife trafficking. This evaluation has found that over the last years wildlife trafficking has clearly risen up the agenda of policymakers, law enforcement agencies and stakeholders in the EU and worldwide. The EU and its Member States have scaled up enforcement measures, for instance, to enhanced cross-border investigations, resulting in more seizures and prosecutions. The EU has also led actions against wildlife trafficking in multilateral fora, notably under CITES, and the EU and Member States’ diplomatic networks have been mobilised, actively engaging in bilateral and regional dialogues. Lastly, the EU has provided substantial funding for local communities’ involvement in the management and conservation of wildlife, capacity building of law enforcement agencies and support for cross-border collaboration to combat wildlife trafficking and dismantle organised crime networks.

Despite these efforts, wildlife trafficking, combined with climate change and environmental degradation, continues to put a serious strain on wildlife, as well as on people’s livelihoods and security. Trafficking routes and trafficked species change, while capacities and resources dedicated to fighting wildlife crime remain limited. This results in a relatively low number of prosecutions and convictions, despite an increase in seizures.

Building on the 2016 action plan and its evaluation, the revised action plan against wildlife trafficking, which we will adopt before the end of this year, will aim to respond to the current challenges in a comprehensive way. It will put more focus on capacity building along the enforcement chain and will encourage coordination and cooperation within and between Member States. It will also renew the EU commitment to fight online wildlife trafficking, harnessing the future adoption of the Digital Services Act to give enforcement actors the necessary tools to tackle wildlife crime online. It will also call for more transparency in decision—making, based on a stronger partnership of the EU and its Member States, with non-governmental organisations, international organisations and the private sector. We aim to establish a more robust framework for monitoring and evaluation of the action plan. This framework will build on existing reporting mechanisms in order to limit the burden on Member States and will take account of the inherent limitations of measuring action against illegal trade.

  Lídia Pereira, em nome do Grupo PPE. – Senhora Presidente, os diferentes seres vivos que habitam a Terra são uma das suas maiores riquezas, e a biodiversidade é um bem fundamental que nos cabe a todos preservar.

A pergunta que há a fazer aos governos e à Comissão é se estamos a fazer tudo o que é necessário para salvaguardar o futuro do planeta e não apenas se podemos proteger mais espécies, mas se aquelas que já estão hoje identificadas como em risco e a necessitar de proteção estão efetivamente protegidas.

Não podemos compactuar com o ataque constante à biodiversidade do planeta por parte daqueles que pretendem ter espécies em perigo como animais domésticos apenas para divertimento. Temos de perguntar se, em particular, os animais e as plantas vítimas de tráfico ou comércio ilegal estão a encontrar na ação dos governos e no controlo das suas fronteiras uma resposta adequada, e se os criminosos estão a ser adequadamente punidos. Todos os elementos na cadeia de tráfico têm de ser alvo de uma resposta firme e sem tréguas.

Mais do que alterações de convenções, que são também necessárias, precisamos de reforçar a capacidade de fiscalização e a resposta da justiça.

  César Luena, en nombre del Grupo S&D. – Señora presidenta, doy las gracias a todas las personas, compañeros y compañeras, que han participado en esta Resolución. Pero no seamos ni conformistas ni complacientes, señores y señoras miembros del Consejo y de la Comisión. creo que no es bueno.

Nuestro objetivo es triple: proteger la flora y la fauna salvaje, impedir el comercio ilegal y descontrolado y finalmente, proteger la biodiversidad.

Sin embargo, hay seis aspectos, que voy a mencionar de pasada aquí, en este Pleno, en los cuales podemos mejorar sustancialmente este Convenio CITES.

Primero, las enfermedades zoonóticas: tenemos que abordar los mercados de animales vivos, pero abordarlos de verdad, porque creo que la señal que hemos recibido durante los últimos tres años es bastante evidente.

Segundo, la ciberdelincuencia. ¿Qué es internet en este campo del que estamos hablando esta tarde? Pues es la gran grieta por la que se cuela todo el tráfico ilegal de especies silvestres. Pero tampoco somos ambiciosos. Lo citamos, lo mencionamos, señorías, sí, pero no somos ambiciosos.

Tigres y otros grandes felinos: no podemos permitir que se comercien cuando se crían en cautividad. No lo dejamos claro. Además, los tigres, por cierto, son una especie protegida y deberían criarse únicamente con de conservación, nunca comerciales.

Pregunto: ¿tenemos un marco jurídico claro para el comercio, en este caso, de los elefantes africanos vivos? Tampoco lo dejamos claro.

Por no hablar de que tenemos la obligación de reducir la demanda de animales silvestres vivos y de productos derivados de la fauna silvestre.

Claro, tenemos que decirles a nuestros conciudadanos europeos que hay que reducir esa demanda, que no podemos vivir más con esos modos de consumo.

Y, por último, necesitamos una lista positiva de los animales que pueden tenerse como animales de compañía. Tampoco la tenemos.

Por tanto, estamos dando pasos y podemos estar contentos, pero no son suficientes.

No seamos conformistas y mucho menos, complacientes. Hay que ser más ambiciosos cuando vayamos a Panamá.

  María Soraya Rodríguez Ramos, en nombre del Grupo Renew. – Señora presidenta, efectivamente, nos encontramos ante una importante y necesaria Resolución. Ya se ha dicho: tenemos que tener en cuenta que el negocio del tráfico ilegal de flora y fauna silvestre, por detrás del tráfico de drogas, el tráfico de personas y el tráfico y la falsificación de productos y monedas, es el cuarto comercio ilegal más grande del mundo y genera más de 23 000 millones de euros. Es, además, un comercio ilegal devastador para el delicado equilibrio ecosistémico.

Por lo tanto, proteger nuestra biodiversidad es absolutamente necesario y, en este ámbito, es preciso que, de cara a la próxima COP, seamos capaces de defender la aplicación de la Convención CITES. Hay grandes amenazas y grandes fallas en este comercio ilegal, fundamentalmente, porque no hay un cumplimiento adecuado de la Convención, no hay prioridad política por parte de las partes implicadas y no hay suficientes recursos.

Por eso pensamos que la Unión Europea, de cara a la próxima COP19 en Panamá, tiene que promover una dotación financiera suficiente, tiene que pedir que se adopte una legislación nacional eficaz, tiene que pedir una mayor coherencia y armonización entre las distintas convenciones, tiene que pedir que se apliquen sanciones disuasorias cuando la Convención se incumple.

También es necesario que la Unión Europea adopte un nuevo plan —un ambicioso plan— de acción contra el tráfico de especies silvestres. Y en este plan tenemos que incluir, ya se ha dicho también, una mejora de la coordinación y de las actividades policiales para luchar contra nuevos sistemas delictivos, como es el tráfico de especies silvestres por Internet. Tenemos que mejorar las actividades de inspección y la cooperación entre las administraciones implicadas, y tenemos que trabajar mucho por la sensibilización de la sociedad.

  Ville Niinistö, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Madam President, biodiversity loss is an existential threat, and we must also address this challenge. This is not only important to the upcoming COP 15 on biodiversity, but also in the context of CoP 19 on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Panama.

CITES is an agreement with the aim to make sure that trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival in nature. The species listed in CITES are grouped according to how threatened they are by international trade. In the coming CoP, the EU should support proposals for uplisting species to better protect the species. Also, it is worth noting that this still leaves a lot of species outside the scope of CITES where other, often national, tools for data protection are needed and the EU must push for those as well.

There is no way of protecting species without also protecting their habitats. It is good that this resolution notes the importance of key habitats such as forests and oceans. This is important when we are addressing also climate effects to our planet, that biodiversity and species protection goes hand in hand with that as well.

I am pleased that in this resolution we recognise the role of the European Union as a major driver and as a transit and destination point for illegal trade. This must be stopped. There are major gaps in the EU’s own wildlife regulations. Revision of the EU action plan against wildlife trafficking will be a great moment to tackle the role of the EU in driving demand for illegal trade. Not only is nature on the line; the wild and uncontrolled wildlife trade also increases risks for human health. Therefore, our job is now to make sure that wildlife can thrive without us humans threatening its existence and we also support our own future by doing that.

  Catherine Griset, au nom du groupe ID. – Madame la Présidente, le nombre d’espèces touchées ne cesse d’augmenter dans le monde. L’existence d’une telle convention est donc une bonne chose, et il faut évidemment la soutenir. Encore faut-il que ce soit l’affaire des États souverains, les mieux placés pour agir efficacement; ne nous trompons pas d’échelle!

Même si certaines populations d’animaux se stabilisent – voire augmentent, en Afrique, grâce aux zones protégées et aux politiques de préservation mises en place par les États –, la plaie du commerce illégal menace ces efforts.

Mais ce n’est pas là la seule menace: la pression démographique et l’expansion des villes et des villages réduisent toujours plus les zones d’habitat des animaux. De même, les troubles civils, les conflits participent aussi à ce déclin, surtout quand ils sont chroniques. N’oublions pas la sécheresse et les problématiques liées à la gestion de l’eau, qui entraînent la dégradation des écosystèmes.

Enfin, il faut améliorer l’état des connaissances sur place, mieux évaluer les populations animales réelles et les enjeux liés aux communautés locales pour gagner en efficacité, et, bien sûr, intensifier la lutte contre le braconnage.

  Pietro Fiocchi, on behalf of the ECR Group. – Madam President, I have a very practical question for the Commission, and regarding this topic, I will present a separate vote on a paragraph 39, which bans the import of a hunting trophy.

As a person that has worked a lot in Africa for many years, I know the situation very well, and I work on the side of people defending biodiversity. But, for example, in Namibia, trophy hunting, which is legal trophy hunting, is almost 5% of the gross national product and is very important from a biodiversity protection and an economic point of view, because all the meat goes to tribes, part of the money goes to the tribes for schooling, in exchange of not poaching. Because we have to remember that a lot of animal killings in Africa are done by the tribes to protect their agricultural land, for reason, because they need food, also for money. And so this system works; brings a positive economic effect, brings protection of biodiversity. So I would like to believe this is possible.

And by the way, I’m in contact with the ambassadors of Namibia, South Africa, Botswana and Mozambique, and I would like to bring them here to explain exactly the numbers in their respective countries.

  Younous Omarjee, au nom du groupe The Left. – Madame la Présidente, 100 000 euros pour une chasse obscène au rhinocéros, 15 000 euros pour une tête de buffle, quelques milliers d’euros pour une corne d’éléphant, quelques euros pour une planche de bois de rose, et combien pour les prétendues vertus aphrodisiaques des écailles de pangolin?

C’est à ce prix – 195 milliards d’euros par an, presque l’équivalent du trafic de drogue – que s’organise l’exploitation brutale de la nature par l’homme et, disons-le, les crimes de l’humanité contre le monde du vivant.

C’est pourquoi il est temps aujourd’hui, je crois, de pénaliser les acheteurs et les détenteurs des objets de ce trafic, car c’est la demande qui crée l’offre, et le marché, il est en Europe.

Je pense aussi qu’il s’agit là d’une question de civilisation, qui touche à la conception que nous avons de nous-mêmes. Le commerce des espèces dites sauvages est un commerce par nature barbare et sauvage, et je crois qu’on ne réglemente pas la barbarie: on la combat et on la pénalise.

ΠΡΟΕΔΡΙΑ: ΕΥΑ ΚΑΪΛΗ
Αντιπρόεδρος

  Francisco José Millán Mon (PPE). – Señora presidenta, quiero centrar mi intervención esta tarde en el apartado 87 de la Resolución que hoy debatimos. Me refiero a la inclusión, a propuesta de Panamá, de todos los tiburones de la familia de la tintorera o quenlla en el apéndice II de la Convención CITES, con el fin de dificultar su comercialización.

Esta cuestión ha suscitado mucha polémica en mi país, España, y en mi región, Galicia, donde la inclusión en CITES del marrajo dientuso ya provocó importantes quebrantos a un sector de la flota.

Quiero recordar que los dictámenes científicos no aconsejan la inclusión de la especie de la tintorera en el apéndice II de CITES. Las recientes evaluaciones sugieren que las poblaciones de tintorera no están siendo objeto de sobrepesca y que se mantienen por encima del rendimiento máximo sostenible.

Además, la propia Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura ha señalado que esta especie de tiburón no está amenazada y que no necesita una mayor fiscalización comercial. Advierte también dicha Organización que la inclusión de la tintorera en CITES puede tener un impacto socioeconómico a escala mundial que no ha sido tenido en cuenta.

Al adoptar decisiones en el ámbito de la pesca debemos guiarnos por la ciencia y el impacto socioeconómico, no solo por una visión esencialmente medioambientalista. El sector pesquero europeo lo está pasando mal desde hace tres años. El impacto de los recortes en las aguas y en las capturas o en las cuotas en aguas británicas tras el Brexit, la epidemia de COVID—19, el grave impacto de los elevadísimos precios de los combustibles, imprescindibles para la actividad pesquera, y ahora el veto a la pesca de fondo en ochenta y siete áreas del océano Atlántico.

Dificultar la comercialización de la tintorera supondría un nuevo golpe para un sector de la flota.

Me gustaría que la Unión Europea no siga dando la impresión de que se preocupa más por el bienestar de los peces que por el bienestar y prosperidad de los pescadores.

  Martin Hojsík (Renew). – Madam President, Commissioner, Councillor, I am honoured to be part of the EP’s delegation to the CITES CoP19 because the convention is more than just a tool to control trade in endangered species, it is about our relationship with wildlife as such.

Wildlife is a significant part of our heritage, our cultures. Our societies have to finally acknowledge the material and immaterial value that the habitats provide to us and the dependence of the wildlife on its good state. And the endangered species are the symbol of that deterioration.

We have to admit that we, humans, are at the core of this problem. We keep contributing to the habitat degradation. We have led the market of illegal trafficking to flourish and we did not sufficiently punish those involved in it. We still keep trading captive-bred, endangered species, legally in a number of occasions. Just look at the trade in captive tigers. Also in the European Union.

We have to be part of the solution. We finally need to equip the police, the customs officers and the authorities with the means to enforce the convention because they have been seriously understaffed. We have to invest in capacity building and training of enforcement and judicial capacities. We need to strengthen our cooperation by establishing specialised units, focusing on wildlife crime across the Member States. And we have to stop the trade in endangered animals from captive breeding. No more tiger trade. We all can help, also in this House, by sending a strong signal with our resolution on the CITES scope, but also by supporting a strong environmental crime directive.

  Anna Deparnay-Grunenberg (Verts/ALE). – Frau Präsidentin, meine Damen und Herren! Täglich sterben weltweit 150 Tier- und Pflanzenarten – jeden Tag. Wir erleben das größte Massensterben seit über 60 Millionen Jahren. Und wir wissen auch, woher das kommt.

Das CITES-Übereinkommen ist eben international das einzige scharfe Schwert, das wir haben, um den skrupellosen Handel mit gefährdeten Arten einzudämmen. Aber, wie meine Kollegen gesagt haben: Wir schützen damit auch die Ökosysteme, in denen diese Arten eben vorkommen. So beheimaten Wälder weltweit eine enorme Vielfalt an Lebewesen, und sie regulieren gleichzeitig unser globales Klima. Wir brauchen sie sowohl im Kampf gegen die Klimakrise als auch im Kampf gegen das Artensterben, denn artenreiche Wälder schenken uns das Leben.

Eine ambitionierte EU-Position bei der COP 19 in Panama, so wie im Umweltausschuss beschlossen, muss ein wahrer Gamechanger werden. Denn Ziel eines Verbots des Handels mit manchen gefährdeten Arten ist auch, das ausbeutende Geschäftsmodell der Abholzung unprofitabel zu machen. Lasst uns den Grünen Deal beim Wort nehmen und konsequent verhandeln!

  Aurélia Beigneux (ID). – Madame la Présidente, il faut évidemment saluer ce texte, qui permet de mettre un terme à des pratiques barbares, qui pourtant existent encore en 2022. Que de temps nous avons attendu, à voir des espèces s’éteindre année après année en ne mettant en avant que des outils de prévention ou presque! Les trophées de chasse qui traversent les douanes, le commerce d’espèces protégées, animales comme végétales, sont autant de scandales qui ne doivent plus rester impunis.

Pénaliser les groupes et les individus est le seul outil qui puisse mettre fin à cette situation. Il faut des règles fermes et des peines qui doivent être appliquées, en liaison constante avec les premiers concernés sur le terrain: les scientifiques, les associations et les politiques.

Cependant, même quand les combats sont nobles, la Commission européenne reste une institution qui a horreur de la souveraineté de nos nations. Ce texte donne des prérogatives qui empiètent une fois encore sur les États membres. Ce sont pourtant les États, ici comme sur les continents concernés par les extinctions de masse, qui sont les échelles de décision les plus démocratiques et, surtout, les plus justes.

  Jadwiga Wiśniewska (ECR). – Pani Przewodnicząca! Pani Komisarz! Szanowni Państwo! Pierwotnie celem Konwencji Waszyngtońskiej było zapewnienie, by międzynarodowy handel dzikimi zwierzętami i roślinami nie zagrażał ich przetrwaniu. Dziś wiemy, że przetrwanie to zbyt skromna ambicja, i powinniśmy zapewnić odpowiednie standardy transportu i warunki przechowywania zwierząt, aby ograniczyć ich stres i cierpienie. Dlatego doceniam tekst wspólnej rezolucji na temat konferencji w Panamie.

Uważam, że nasz głos powinien być silny i jednoznaczny. Musimy nie tylko uszczelnić i ujednolicić prawo zwalczające nielegalny handel, ale również zadbać o to, aby handel legalny był bardzo precyzyjnie monitorowany i by nie dochodziło do łamania prawa.

Szczególnie chciałabym zwrócić uwagę na handel dzikimi zwierzętami i przede wszystkim na transport żywych zwierząt przez wewnętrzne granice Unii. Te granice muszą być bardzo przejrzyste i stabilne. Muszą być ramy kontroli, tak by nieuczciwi handlarze nie mogli dłużej tłumaczyć się nieznajomością odmiennych procedur i nadużywać uproszczeń administracyjnych, jakie daje strefa Schengen.

Unia Europejska, w której standardy ochrony środowiska i dobrostanu należą do najwyższych, ma dziś do odegrania rolę nauczyciela i promotora wobec państw trzecich.

  Agnès Evren (PPE). – Madame la Présidente, madame la Commissaire, la COP 19 est un rendez-vous stratégique pour la protection des espèces sauvages et la réglementation de leur commerce. L'enjeu est triple.

Premier enjeu évidemment, préserver notre biodiversité, alors que la sixième extinction de masse a d'ores et déjà commencé, des espèces s'éteignent à un rythme alarmant. Deuxième enjeu, sanitaire, la COVID, à juste titre ou non, a mis un coup de projecteur sur les zoonoses et il nous faut nous en protéger. Enfin, troisième enjeu, sécuritaire, le trafic d'espèces sauvages est une importante manne financière qui alimente criminels et groupes armés. La CITES, mais aussi notre législation européenne présentent encore d'importantes faiblesses dans lesquelles s'engouffrent, hélas, les trafiquants. Il convient donc de les corriger.

Au niveau européen, la révision du plan d'action de l'Union européenne devrait renforcer notre action sur le trafic des espèces sauvages. Il faut bien sûr réduire la demande de produits illicites issus d'espèces sauvages, mais aussi renforcer la répression, ce qui implique d'améliorer nos moyens d'inspection et la collecte de données. Ce sont nos autorités douanières et judiciaires qui sont en première ligne contre ce trafic. Nous devons leur apporter les moyens d'action nécessaires, notamment en matière de cybercriminalité. Car, nous le savons, une partie de ce commerce se joue désormais en ligne.

  Anna Zalewska (ECR). – Pani Przewodnicząca! Pani Komisarz! Słuchając koleżanek i kolegów, wiem jedno. Że nasza delegacja ma silny mandat, że wszyscy mówimy właściwie jednym językiem.

To ważne! Będzie miała odwagę forsować te wszystkie rekomendacje, które sprzyjają bioróżnorodności, które są za rozwiązaniami związanymi z zablokowaniem międzynarodowego handlu dzikimi zwierzętami. Dlatego cieszę się, że możemy powiedzieć, że jesteśmy za poprawą egzekwowania zakazów i ograniczeń w handlu chronionymi gatunkami, za przejrzystością, że jesteśmy za ułatwianiem i zabezpieczeniem finansowym we wdrażaniu tejże konwencji. Jednocześnie, że jesteśmy za wzmocnieniem roli Unii Europejskiej w globalnej walce z handlem, dziką fauną i florą oraz zapewnieniem realizacji planu działania Unii Europejskiej przeciwko handlowi, dziką fauną i florą na lata 2016-2020.

Życzę powodzenia i odwagi.

  Peter van Dalen (PPE). – Voorzitter, haaien zijn essentieel voor het ecosysteem in onze zeeën en oceanen. Maar helaas, driekwart van de haaiensoorten wordt met uitsterven bedreigd, onder andere door overbevissing. De wereldwijde haaienstand mag niet achteruitgaan, want dan zullen onze ecosystemen gaan wankelen. Wij moeten dus de haaien beschermen. Helaas wordt slechts 25 % van de wereldwijde handel in haaienvinnen adequaat beheerd. Dat is echt te weinig, wij moeten meer doen.

Het is dus terecht dat de Europese Unie en ook gastland Panama bij de komende conferentie over de handel in bedreigde dier- en plantensoorten, zowel de hamerhaaien als ook de mensenhaaien volledig willen beschermen. Door die beide haaiensoorten op te nemen in de bijlagen bij de Cites-overeenkomst, kunnen deze populaties duurzaam worden beheerd en kan ook de handel door blijven gaan. Dus er is voldoende ruimte voor handel, maar er wordt ook voor gezorgd dat de populaties overeind blijven. Dat moeten we doen, want deze soorten haaien mogen niet uitsterven!

  Helena Dalli, Member of the Commission. – Madam President, Minister, honourable Members. I’m grateful for your interventions today and for allowing us to have this very important debate. And I will try to reply briefly to some of the main comments which were made.

With regard to the positive list for pets, the feasibility and advantages of establishing a positive list for exotic animals to be kept as pets needs to be carefully analysed as it is a complex issue, of course, cutting across animal welfare, human and animal health, trade and others, with potential implications in all of these areas. So the Commission is ready to conduct a study to look into the issue.

With regard to a regulation on the trade in wildlife, the Commission keeps EU policies under review and is ready to explore the need for added value and feasibility of new legislative and policy initiatives to ensure that EU action against wildlife trafficking remains sufficiently strong and proportionate to the threat posed by wildlife trafficking and the experience in implementing existing legislation, based on the rules of the country of origin, such as the EU Timber Regulation or the US Lacey Act, would need to be considered.

Another question on whether the EU position on the CITES scope is consistent with the biodiversity strategy. The Commission assessed the proposals in relation to the listing criteria and the obligations in the Convention, taking into account the precautionary principle. But ambition cannot be at the expense of not respecting the rules, of course.

So the Commission proposed to the Council to oppose only eight of the 52 listing proposals, and four out of those eight are to reduce the controls on certain species. So these proposals clearly do not meet the criteria in the Convention and the Commission proposal is ambitious as it supports 35 out of the 52 listing proposals. For nine proposals, the available information was not enough to judge the scientific merits, and therefore we proposed an open position, and this is for reconsideration should additional information become available.

Whether the EU should support all the proposals by the range states. For scientists to function effectively and to remain relevant and implemented, it is necessary to ensure that the listing of species is based on the criteria foreseen in the Convention, taking into account the best available scientific information, of course.

But not all proposals by the range states fulfil these criteria. So in such cases, the EU is committed to supporting range states to address the concerns in other ways, using tools that are better adapted than those under CITES, such as, for example, NaturAfrica – an extensive initiative that will support biodiversity conservation in Africa.

With regard to trophy hunting, the EU has been pursuing a balanced approach towards the trade of hunting trophies on which widely divergent positions are held by various countries and NGOs. So legal, well-regulated trophy-hunting programmes play an important role in delivering benefits for both life conservation and for the livelihoods and well-being of indigenous people and local communities living with wildlife.

So ensuring a return of benefits for local communities, certainly in areas where other resources are scarce, creates an incentive for local communities to be willing to live next to the wildlife and to continue to protect these species.

But EU law goes beyond the protection required by CITES for listed species. Permit issuance relies on the positive opinion of the scientific review group, which is mandated to ensure that inputs of listed species are kept at a sustainable level and will not deplete the species’ population.

So the EU intervenes and stops imports when information reveals a threat for the survival of a population. So this corresponds with a precautionary, but also proportionate, approach based on the best available science.

With regard to proposals aiming to stop trade in live elephants, international trade in live elephants, especially when it takes the animals out of their natural range, is a very sensitive issue that generates expressions of public concern as we know.

It is a highly divisive topic amongst African countries, and the EU has submitted for consideration by the parties a working document to clarify the framework for trade in live elephants, taking a comprehensive approach and building a joint understanding amongst all the range states.

So to conclude on this, wildlife trafficking remains a worrying – a very worrying, I would say – global phenomenon, with wide-ranging ecological and socioeconomic impacts. As a source, transit and destination region for trafficked wildlife, the EU has a key role to play in the fight against illegal wildlife trade.

So let me thank you once again for following this topic so closely and for the importance which you attach to it, which is indeed merited.

  Mikuláš Bek, President-in-Office of the Council. – Madam President, honourable Members, Commissioner, I would like to thank you all for your interventions. They confirm the strong interest of this House in wildlife conservation and your desire for the EU to play a leading role at the CITES CoP 19.

As I mentioned in my initial intervention, the Council is currently working on the Union position for the CITES CoP 19. Parliament will, of course, be duly informed once it is adopted.

I can see great convergence of views on the fact that CITES CoP 19 is an excellent opportunity to further strengthen global efforts against wildlife trafficking, including through new listings of endangered species. The Presidency will do its utmost to have our proposals adopted in Panama.

  President. – I have received one motion for a resolution tabled in accordance with Rule 136(1).

The debate is closed.

The vote will take place tomorrow.

(The sitting was suspended at 14.28)

PRESIDÊNCIA: PEDRO SILVA PEREIRA
Vice-Presidente