European Commission, Press release, Brussels, 10 April 2014 -
Following an invitation by the
European Commission, 170 experts met today in Brussels to discuss how
the EU can better fight wildlife trafficking.
The conference marked the end of a public consultation which was launched on 7 February with a Communication by the Commission (COM (2014) 64 final). The background of the Commission's
initiative is the surge in wildlife trafficking globally over the last
years which has reached a level that threatens the survival of some
endangered species and undermines good governance and sustainable
development. Organised crime is significantly involved in this lucrative
business, also within the EU.
Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik who opened the conference said: "The
damages caused by wildlife trafficking are enormous, and the efforts we
undertake to combat it effectively will have to match the gravity of
the situation." He also conveyed a message from the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström: "Wildlife
trafficking can be a very profitable business where risks of detection
and sanctions are lower than for example drug trafficking. We need to
strengthen our fight against this environmental crime."
Discussions focused on how to
strengthen enforcement within the EU, how to better fight organised
wildlife crime and how to ensure a more strategic diplomatic and
development support role for the EU against wildlife crime.
Participants
of the conference, which will continue tomorrow with dedicated
workshops, came from 26 Member States, and from source and market
countries in Africa, Asia and the Americas. Key international
organisations such as Europol, Eurojust, Interpol, different part of the
UN system and the World Bank were also represented. Civil
society was actively participating through more than twenty different
organisations. The European Parliament reiterated its call for an EU
Action Plan against wildlife trafficking.
It was the first time
representatives from all parts of government concerned (foreign affairs,
development, environment, home affairs and justice) came together with
practitioners from the entire enforcement chain, reflecting the need to
develop a more comprehensive approach to what has become a major and
complex organized crime problem and a threat to sustainable development.
Experts highlighted a number of
problems for enforcement at EU level such as lack of resources,
insufficient cooperation between agencies, in some Member States
non-deterrent sanction levels and the lack of reliable data to analyse
the scope of the problem. It was also discussed how cooperation between
Member States in cross-border cases could be further strengthened.
Regarding organized crime, the need to also follow the trail of the
illegal revenues generated through wildlife trafficking was highlighted.
For better
supporting global efforts against wildlife trafficking, experts stressed
the need for improved enforcement of existing international rules and
the importance of high level diplomatic actions towards countries
affected by wildlife trafficking. They also discussed how to maximise
international cooperation to investigate and sanction transnational
organised networks and how to best integrate wildlife crime among the
donor's priorities for development cooperation assistance.
The Commission will analyse
carefully all the recommendations provided by the experts in the
consultation and at the conference today and will on this basis review
existing policies and measures.
[europa.eu]
10/4/14
--
-
Related:
No comments:
Post a Comment
Only News