Activities of Marco AFFRONTE related to 2016/2076(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
EU action plan against wildlife trafficking (debate) IT
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on EU action plan against wildlife trafficking PDF (402 KB) DOC (92 KB)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the EU action plan against wildlife trafficking
Amendments (48)
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 18 a (new)
Citation 18 a (new)
— having regard to the seriousness of the loss of global biodiversity, which corresponds to the sixth wave of mass extinction of species,
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 18 b (new)
Citation 18 b (new)
— whereas global biodiversity and ecosystem services are under threat owing to land-use changes, unsustainable use of natural resources, and pollution and climate change; whereas, in particular, many endangered species face greater challenges than before owing to rapid urbanisation, loss of habitat and the illegal wildlife trade;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Suggests that wildlife trafficking control measures should be strengthened, particularly on illicit trafficking of species for aquariums and in the field of online sales (purchases by aquarium owners, for example);
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Stresses the importance of control, training and public awareness raising campaigns in order to enforce the action plan against wildlife trafficking in the fisheries sector;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas trophy hunting is a form of exploitation of wild species and is a further threat to their populations; whereas the European Union is one of the main markets for the import of hunting trophies;
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Stresses the importance of good quality data in the fisheries sector and good quality flow between the enforcement agencies responsible in the Member-States;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas lack of awareness and political engagement are major obstacles to combating wildlife trafficking effectively;
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Believes it essential to step up action against widespread depredation of rivers by criminals, who are smuggling out large quantities of fish for sale on north-east European markets without regard for the species caught or for the environmental impact of the disruption caused to wildlife; calls on the Commission and the Member States to cooperate in tightening up border controls, so as to be able to intercept any such exports of fish intended for sale on the black market, which pose a major threat, not least to consumer health;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Acknowledges the importance of the action plan, but stresses its shortcomings as regards the incorporation of aquatic species;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Acknowledges that the identification and allocation of appropriate financial and human resources is essential for the implementation of the Action Plan by the Commission, Member States, Europol and other identified actors. This should include dedicated funding for a Wildlife Crime Unit at Europol and for the work of EU-TWIX;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. urges the European Commission to propose specific budget allocations to support effective and concrete actions across the different EU policies to combat trafficking of wild species;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Insists on timely implementation of all elements of the Action Plan; cCalls on the Commission to provide Parliament and the Council with yearly written implementation updates, and to put in place an effective evaluation system to take account of the data and information provided by NGOs and civil society groups;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Insists on timely implementation of all elements of the Action Plan; calls on the Commission to provide Parliament and the Council with yearly written implementation updates, and setup a detailed monitoring and evaluation plan to measure the progress;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Stresses that importation of hunting trophies into the European Union does not comply with the precautionary principle enshrined in the Treaties;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls for awareness-raising campaigns by the EU, third countries, stakeholders and civil society with the aim of reducing the market demand for illegal wildlife products through real and long- term social and behavioural change; Recognizes the need to support initiatives for coordinated approaches to address the involuntarily illegal wildlife trade through possess and transport of protected species;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the EU to support initiatives promoting the development of alternative livelihoods forsustainable livelihoods options that increase benefits from and local support for wildlife conservation with full consultation of local communities close to the wildlife concerned and contributing to the recovery and conservation of wildlife populations;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to put in place a precautionary approach for the import of hunting trophies of species listed in the Appendices to CITES and the annexes to the Regulation on trade in wild species protected under the EU regulation of trade in wild fauna (338/97), requiring that imports only be authorised if a set of precise and sound scientific information demonstrates the significant and tangible benefits for conservation of the targeted population with respect to hunting trophies in the case of species in Annex A, and that imports not be detrimental to the conservation of the target populations for the species in Annex B; imports should in any case not be permitted into countries where corruption is suspected of being involved in this process;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls on the Member States to put in place national enforcementestablish Wildlife Crime Units to facilitate implementation across the various agencies at the national level; to put in place national wildlife trafficking action plans detailing implementation enforcement policies and penalties, and to publish the information on seizures and arrests relating to wildlife crimes, in order to ensure consistency and harmonised approaches between Member States;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls on the Member States to put in place national enforcementwildlife trafficking action plans detailing implementation enforcement policies and penalties, and to publish the information on seizures and arrests relating to wildlife crimes, in order to ensure consistency and harmonised approaches between Member States;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Calls on the European Commission to provide additional financial resources to the Action Plan for defined targets to allow the success and the implementation of the plan in the long term;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Calls on the European Commission to continue and improve the training and awareness activities of European and national bodies, agencies and judicial institutions specialised in the fight against wildlife trafficking;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Calls for an annual monitoring and evaluation mechanism to assess Member States progress on the implementation of the Action Plan by providing regular data and information updates concerning wildlife trafficking;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Urges the Member States to ensure that enforcement agencies, prosecution services and national judiciaries as well as Wildlife Crime Units within Europol have the necessary financial and human resources to combat wildlife crime;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Calls on the Commission to develop guidelines on how to tackle the phenomenon of illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products via the Internet, as adopted in the Council conclusions of 20 June 2016;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
12b. Calls on the Member States and the European Commission to engage in collaboration with social network platforms, search engines and e- commerce platforms to combat the illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products via the Internet, and to involve them in the development of policies to combat potential illegal activities;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on the Commission to review Directive 2008/99/EC on the protection of the environment through criminal law, in particular with regard to its effectiveness in combating wildlife crime; stresses the need to include in EU legislation a definition and a new legal classification of the crimes carried out against the nature and species;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to acknowledge the role of civil society and pursue opportunities to engage with non-government organisations with the skills and resources to provide appropriate assistance and training;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Considers that action against wildlife crime requires consistent, effective and dissuasive criminal penalties; urges the Member States to define wildlife trafficking as a serious crime in accordance with UNTOC;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls on the European Commission and Member States to recognise the scale of online wildlife trafficking and to build capacity within wildlife crime units, coordination with customs cybercrime units and engagement of NGOs active in monitoring online trade and facilitating enforcement trainings in order to ensure that channels exist to trigger assistance from cross- border units specialised in cybercrime;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls on the European Commission and the Member States to recognise the scale of online wildlife trafficking and to build capacity within wildlife crime units in order to ensure that channels exist to trigger assistance from cross-border units specialised in cybercrime;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Calls on the Commission to develop guidelines on how to address the problem of online wildlife crime, in particular on illegal internet trade in CITES listed species, at EU level as adopted in the Council conclusions in June 2016; In particular, urges that wildlife trafficking control measures should be strengthened in the field of online sales;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17b. Calls on the Member States and the Commission to engage with social media platforms, search engines and e- commerce platforms on illegal internet trade in CITES listed species and development of policies to address potential illegal activity.
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to establish a precautionary approach for the import of hunting trophies from species listed in the CITES Appendices/Annexes of the Wildlife Trade Regulations protected under the EU wildlife trade regulations (338/97), e.g. imports must only be permitted where a set of robust, scientific information is provided for the targeted population, demonstrating significant and tangible conservation benefits in relation to hunting trophies from Annex A species, and that imports will not be detrimental to the conservation of the species concerned for Annex B species; imports should not be permitted from countries where corruption is suspected to be associated with the process;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to recognise the role of civil society and to provide non- governmental organisations with the powers and resources necessary for the provision of assistance and appropriate training;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Calls on the Commission to develop guidelines on how to address the problem of online wildlife crime at EU level as adopted in the Council conclusions in June 2016;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls on the Commission to include mandatory sustainable development chapters in all EU trade agreements and negotiations, with specific reference to halting illegal trade in wildlife in all economic sectors; considers that the precautionary principle requires that compliance with EU regulations and international provisions on the protection of wildlife and application of a mechanism ensuring a robust and reliable control of trade in species should be absolute prerequisites for third countries to be entitled to receive EU funds for the development and implementation of free trade agreements;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls for the EU to support the International Consortium on combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC)and calls on the Commission to use ICCWC indicators to evaluate effectiveness of third countries receiving EU funding support against wildlife trafficking in order to facilitate uniform and credible assessment of development funding;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Calls for the creation of an international fund to combat trafficking of species of endangered wild fauna and flora, aimed at financially supporting cooperation between countries of origin, transit and destination, sensitising the populations of the countries of destination and also origin, promoting the development of the rural populations in the regions of the countries of origin concerned, and raising awareness amongst and providing training for all those involved in the fight against organised crime;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Notes that the development of preventive Positive Lists of permitted species should be promoted as best practice for the regulation of the exotic pet trade;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Notes that CITES, the EU Timber Regulation and the EU IUU regulatory framework are tools for regulating international wildlife trade; urges the Member States to step up their efforts to ensure the effective implementation of this Regulation; is concerned, however, about regulatory gaps with regard to species and actors; calls, therefore, for the EU to review and amend the existing legislative framework with a view to prohibiting the making available and placing on the market, transport, acquisition and possession of wildlife that has been illegally harvested or traded in third countries; considers that such legislation would harmonise and simplify the existing EU framework and that the transnational impact of such legislation can play a key role in reducing global wildlife trafficking;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Notes that CITES, the EU Timber Regulation and the EU IUU regulatory framework are important tools for regulating international wildlife trade; is concerned, however, by the lack of proper enforcement and implementation as well as about regulatory gaps with regard to species and actors; calls, therefore, for the EU to review and amend the existing legislative framework with a view to prohibiting the making available and placing on the market, transport, acquisition and possession of wildlife that has been illegally harvested or traded in third countries; considers that such legislation would harmonise and simplify the existing EU framework and that the transnational impact of such legislation can play a key role in reducing global wildlife trafficking;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a Calls the EU and Member States to commit adequate financial support to Rescue Centres. Confiscated animals are often moved to rescue centres on the basis of their expertise and reception capacity; in order to ensure the optimal balance of capacity and expertise, EU financial support for these facilities for all EU countries should be envisaged;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. In its outreach to other countries, the Action Plan should emphasise that a precautionary approach should be taken to wildlife trade, particularly where evidence of sustainability is lacking or where corruption is suspected. Compliance with all national and international wildlife regulations, and robust mechanisms for controlling wildlife trade, should be a prerequisite for development funding and free trade agreements;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Calls for the full and immediate ban at European level of trade, export or re-export in the European Union and to destinations outside the EU of ivory, including ‘pre-Convention’ ivory and rhinoceros horns; calls for the establishment of a mechanism to assess the need for similar restrictions for other endangered species;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Paragraph 21 b (new)
21b. Urges a total and immediate EU- wide ban on the trade, export, or re-export out or within the European Union in elephant ivory (including pre-convention ivory) and rhinoceros horn; calls for a framework to evaluate the need for similar trade restrictive measures for other species endangered by trade;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Calls on the Member States to ensure the immediate confiscation of any seized specimens and the care and re- homing of seized or confiscated live specimens at recognised and certified animal welfare centre; calls on the Member States and the Commission to introduce a certification system and a funding mechanism to ensure that wildlife rescue centres used by Member States are of good standard and well-resourced in order to improve the welfare of confiscated animals;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Calls on the Member States to adopt national plans for the handling of live confiscated specimens in line with CITES Resolution Conference 10.7 (RevCoP15) Annex 3. Member States should report on all seized live specimens to EU-TWIX and annual summary reports should be published. Member States should ensure that the training of enforcement officers includes welfare and safety considerations for the handling of live animals. Calls on the EU and Member States to commit adequate financial support to Wildlife Rescue Centres;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Urges the Member States and the Commission to introduce a certification scheme to ensure that those centres are of good quality, and a funding mechanism to ensure that the centres have sufficient resources to provide for the welfare of animals that have been seized or confiscated, as well as sufficient reception capacity and staff expertise, and to ensure the balanced distribution of these centres over the territory of the Union;