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Parlement européen : réponse écrite à la question E-000612/23 : Suivi des animaux sauvages présents dans les cirques itinérants en Europe

ByApril 23rd, 2023May 16th, 2023No Comments

Document type Answer to question E-000612/23 from the European Commission

Authors: question: Aurélia Beigneux (ID). Answer: Mr Sinkevičius on behalf of the European Commission

Question in French: The number of voices speaking out against the exploitation of wild animals for entertainment purposes has grown over the last years, with people increasingly calling for an end to be put to such practices.

Wild animals’ presence in circuses is not only an animal welfare issue but a major public safety and security issue too. Over the past 24 years, 478 incidents involving 889 wild animals have been recorded in EU circuses.

In response, some Member States have decided to ban travelling circuses from having them. Others, however, have no such restrictions, which seriously complicates efforts to monitor the movement of CITES-listed animals. This lack of monitoring inevitably leaves room for wildlife trafficking and systematically allows for cases of abuse to go unnoticed.

1. Does the Commission monitor the movement of protected wild animals?
2. What is it doing to combat any trafficking?
3. Will it discuss the idea of limiting the number of wild animals in EU circuses, and eventually banning their presence in them, with Member States?

Answer in French: Trade in endangered animals is regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

The EU and its Member States are parties to CITES. CITES is transposed in the EU by the Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97[1] and a series of Commission implementing regulations, which also deal with the movement of animals listed under CITES within the EU.

In line with this legal framework, it is the Member States and not the Commission that monitor the trade and the intra-EU movement of animals in their territory through the issuance and exchange of permits and certificates.

Fighting wildlife trafficking is one of the EU priorities under the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030[2]. The Commission adopted a new EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking on 9 November 2022[3], which aims to provide a comprehensive framework for the EU to effectively address this crime, built around four priorities: (1) Preventing wildlife trafficking and addressing its root causes; (2) strengthening the legal and policy framework against wildlife trafficking; (3) enforcing regulations and policies; (4) strengthening the global partnership.

Under its Farm to Fork Strategy[4], the Commission committed to revise, by 2023, EU animal welfare legislation[5] with a view to aligning it with the latest scientific evidence, broadening its scope, making it easier to enforce and ultimately ensuring a higher level of animal welfare.

However, the Commission’s proposal will not cover the welfare of wild animals used in circuses as this matter remains the sole competence of the Member States. 

 

 

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