Changes from resolution motion to adopted text

R. whereas the revised Environmental Crime Directive provides a harmonised framework enabling detection, investigation and prosecution or adjudication of environmental offences and sets dissuasive level of penalties, including for legal persons;

S. whereas there are rising concerns in the EU and its Member States regarding trade in captive bred animals, including the legality of the founding stock and the laundering of wild-caught specimens;

T. whereas, in compliance with CITES Resolution Conf. 17.8 (and CoP20 Docs. 64.1–64.3), and with Objective 14 of the revised EU action plan against wildlife trafficking, the EU should foster structured cooperation and EU-level information-sharing among specialised rescue and rehabilitation centres, including sanctuaries, to ensure long-term, species-appropriate care and placement solutions for confiscated wild animals;

U. whereas the illegal supply and demand for wildlife have risen with the development of digital technology and social media; whereas the internet plays a key role in facilitating wildlife trafficking and unsustainable trade;

V. whereas species misidentification impacts the accurate estimation of viable harvest levels for wildlife resources, as well as the detection of illegal trade;

W. whereas between 2014 and 2023, the European Union was the second-largest importer of hunting trophies from species listed under the CITES appendices; whereas an increasing number of European countries have adopted or are considering national measures to restrict or ban the import of such trophies in response to ethical, conservation, and biodiversity concerns;

X. whereas sustainable hunting could generate financial benefits that support species conservation and habitat and biodiversity protection, provided that hunting activities are carried out under scienced-based national and international conservation frameworks and tightly controlled and verified population management plans, in order to ensure that there is no threat to species conservation, animal populations and habitat and biodiversity protection, and that revenues are allocated to local communities and conservation projects; whereas an assessments of the impact of hunting on animal populations must be based on robust scientific data evaluated by the Scientific Review Group; whereas an increase in contributions to conservation projects and sustainable community development is recommended;

Y. whereas recent research results suggest that despite new EU rules in force since 2022, trafficking in ivory continues in the EU; whereas the Commission must monitor the implementation of the new rules by the Member States, transform these rules into fully legally binding legislation and close any remaining loopholes;

Z. whereas poaching for the ivory trade is the main driver of population declines in African elephants; whereas illegal ivory trade harms economic development, fosters organised crime, promotes corruption and fuels conflicts;

AA. whereas CITES plays a significant role in reducing the risk of future zoonotic disease emergence associated with international wildlife trade and markets, which poses serious risks to the health of both animals and humans, in line with the ‘One Health’ approach;

AB. whereas the trade in and use of wildlife, if not strictly regulated, present a threat to biodiversity, contribute to the destruction of natural habitats and the exploitation of wildlife and undermine global efforts to combat climate change;

AC. whereas it is estimated that more than 70 % of emerging infectious diseases originate from wildlife; whereas keeping wild animals as pets increases the risk of zoonotic spillover due to their close proximity to human owners; whereas expert advice on limiting zoonotic risks by addressing wildlife markets and by developing ‘positive’ or ‘permitted lists’ of animal species that may be traded, bred and kept as pets is needed, and should take into account other considerations, such as animal welfare, conservation status and population trends;

AD. whereas increased efforts are needed to improve transparency and the effective participation of economic and social stakeholders in decision-making;

Introduction

1. Recalls that that the Parties to CITES recognise that wild fauna and flora in their many beautiful and varied forms are an irreplaceable part of the natural systems of the earth and must be protected for this generation and those to come;

2. Recognises, following the 50th anniversary of CITES, the continued importance of the convention in ensuring that international trade in specimens of wild fauna and flora is regulated so that it does not threaten the survival of species; notes, while acknowledging the progress made in this regard, the need to adapt the convention to new and evolving challenges;

3. Notes that there are new and evolving challenges, including increased demand for wildlife products, cybercrime, biodiversity loss, climate change and the need for greater traceability and enforcement; calls on the Parties to CITES to address these challenges, with enhanced cooperation, stronger enforcement, and more effective mechanisms for ensuring sustainable trade;

4. Underlines the need for a precautionary, science-based approach when implementing CITES to ensure the effective protection of wildlife against the increasing threat posed by international trade to individual animals, species and biodiversity and to the health of humans and animals;

5. Stresses the need for increased synergies between CITES and other relevant treaties and agreements, including, inter alia, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals and the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), ensuring that conservation objectives are met efficiently and effectively;

Implementation, compliance and enforcement

6. Calls on all Parties to CITES to step up their implementation and enforcement of the convention, making full use of the available legal framework;

7. Calls on all the Parties to consistently, transparently and impartially apply the instruments provided for in CITES and the decisions taken under it to promote compliance with the convention, including the Compliance Assistance Programme;

8. Deplores the use of negative economic impact as a reason to lift trade suspension and insists that an affirmative response to such calls would threaten and undermine the whole process, as economic pressure is the intended outcome of trade suspensions;

9. Calls on all Parties to ensure that compliance processes under CITES are applied equally to transit, consumer and range states, to promote consistent enforcement and to ensure that all Parties fulfil their obligations under the convention;

10. Calls for the traceability of the harvest and trade of CITES-listed species to be strengthened by enhancing monitoring mechanisms and ensuring transparency throughout the supply chain and stronger collaboration between source, transit and destination countries;

11. Regrets that current definitions and guidance are insufficient as a growing number of CITES-listed species need traceability systems; calls on all Parties to adopt a resolution establishing clearer and more consistent traceability standards for CITES-listed species and specific taxonomic groups included in the appendices, such as sharks and rays;

12. Recognises the essential contribution of whistle-blowers, journalists, wildlife and forest rangers and environmental rights defenders in supporting CITES implementation; calls on all Parties to increase efforts to ensure their protection and provide them with institutional and legal support;

13. Recalls the constructive and determining role played by civil society in the creation, evolution and implementation of CITES and highlights the importance of ensuring continuous participation of civil society in CITES processes;

14. Underlines the key law enforcement role played by police, customs and the judiciary with regard to the international wildlife trade, which is often associated with other crimes; encourages cooperation between the EU Member States and through other international bodies, including Europol, Eurojust, Interpol, the World Customs Organization and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, as well as other relevant bodies; calls for law enforcement authorities to be provided with adequate financial resources to enable them to fully carry out their duties;

15. Regrets that the tools offered by legal frameworks on the protection of wildlife by means of criminal law are underexploited; calls on all parties to identify and close the gaps in their legal frameworks on the protection of wildlife by means of criminal law; encourages the recognition of liability of legal persons in wildlife crime;

16. Underlines the importance of the first meeting of the open-ended intergovernmental expert group on crimes that affect the environment, convened under UNTOC Resolution 12/4, to take stock of experiences and consider possible responses to the gaps identified, including the possibility, feasibility and merits of any additional protocol to UNTOC; highlights, in this context, the need to continue supporting the development of a new UNTOC protocol on wildlife trafficking, as set out in the EU strategy to tackle organised crime 2021-2025, and as also expressed in the revision of the EU action plan against wildlife trafficking;

17. Emphasises the need for the increased engagement of financial intelligence units, anti-corruption agencies and financial institutions in supporting the implementation of CITES;

18. Calls on all Parties to address the role of corruption in facilitating crime involving fauna and flora, including by establishing a collaborative relationship mechanism between CITES authorities and anti-corruption bodies to facilitate swift and effective action where corrupt activities are detected in connection with illegal wildlife trade; strongly supports the amendments to paragraph 4 of Resolution Conf. 17.6 (Rev. CoP19) submitted to CoP20 encouraging the Parties to ensure that such mechanisms are in place;

19. Encourages all Parties to explore, where applicable, options to prosecute those organising or enabling wildlife trafficking under laws directly addressing corruption, as these may provide stronger investigative powers and the potential for higher penalties than applicable under environmental legislation;

20. Remarks that illicit financial flows linked to illegal wildlife trade undermine the implementation of CITES and its conservation goals; highlights the importance of asset recovery for removing financial incentives for illegal wildlife trade; calls on the Parties to put in place measures to enable the tracing, identification, freezing and confiscation of instrumentalities and proceeds from wildlife crime, including through strengthened implementation of Resolution Conf. 11.3 (Rev. CoP19) on compliance and enforcement;

21. Calls on the Parties to fully comply with Resolution Conf. 11.3 (Rev. CoP19) on compliance and enforcement and Resolution Conf. 17.6 (Rev. CoP19) on prohibiting, preventing, detecting and countering corruption; supports the proposed amendment to the Resolution Conf. 11.3 (Rev. CoP19) to integrate financial crime investigations into the investigation of crimes involving wildlife, and to increase the use of financial investigation techniques to identify criminals involved in wildlife crime and their networks and address the illicit financial flows associated with these crimes;

22. Highlights that the sharing of relevant data between the appropriate authorities and bodies, for example, on the issuance and verification of documents such as import applications, supports CITES implementation and enforcement by building expertise, improving transparency and traceability, allowing for real-time monitoring, accelerating the administrative processes and avoiding duplication of effort, for example, through better data sharing among EU Member States, including on rejected import applications;

23. Calls for increased and more systematic digitalisation that will promote and facilitate data sharing, improve traceability of CITES-listed species, support enforcement, and foster a predictable and efficient business environment, while minimising unnecessary burdens on legal trade;

24. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to support action at the EU and CITES level to ensure that restrictions for specimens of species for which commercial trade is prohibited, are not circumvented by selling these species for allegedly non-commercial purposes, such as in case of sale of Namibia’s white rhino specimens to the United States;

25. Calls for the integration of emerging technologies, such as AI-based tracking systems and drone surveillance, to enhance detection and enforcement efforts;

Decision-making, transparency and reporting

26. Welcomes the annual illegal trade reports as a significant step towards developing a better understanding of wildlife trafficking;

27. Welcomes the amendments to Commission Regulation (EC) No 865/2006 and the revised guidance document on the EU regime governing trade in ivory and urges the Commission to strictly monitor their implementation by the Member States;

28. Stresses that decisions adopted by the Parties to and governing bodies of CITES should be based on scientific criteria aimed at the conservation of species, guided by the best available, robust scientific information and the precautionary principle, as well as on equitable consultation with the affected range states;

29. Encourages all Parties to develop scientific tools to provide robust scientific data to inform decisions regarding species protection and trade regulations under CITES, including monitoring systems, population modelling and species-specific research;

30. Calls on the CITES committees to fully consider the legitimacy, accuracy and relevance of data and evidence when making decisions regarding species protection and trade regulations and, in particular, when deliberating on the legitimacy of legal acquisition findings, non-detriment findings, quotas and catch limits provided by Parties, and to impose trade suspensions when there are substantiated concerns;

31. Notes the requests to downlist species from Appendix I to Appendix II owing to successful conservation and anti-poaching measures of range states, such as in the case of Namibia’s white rhino; stresses that any downlisting of species should be science-based, benefit the local population and ecosystems and lead to an increase in the species’ range within its historical range, and should not be used to circumvent CITES export restrictions;

32. Calls on the Parties to develop clear guidelines on the application of ‘ranching’ for aquatic species, noting that the implementation of CITES for aquatic species poses specific challenges and that misuse of this term may undermine the convention’s objectives; supports the amended draft resolution on trade, conservation and management of eel species, which states that source code R may not be appropriate for use for the genus;

33. Recognises the dependence of some communities on CITES-listed species to support their livelihoods, including through income from sustainable, legal wildlife trade; recalls the importance of the meaningful involvement of Indigenous peoples and local communities in CITES decision-making processes, including in the listing of species, and in the implementation of the convention; acknowledges that local communities and states are, and should be, essential protectors of their own wild fauna and flora;

34. Expresses concern over the lack of transparency and oversight of operations of the CITES Secretariat; calls on the Parties to consider mechanisms to enhance transparency and increase oversight of how the work plan priorities are established; calls for regular reporting by the Secretariat on all outstanding commitments under existing decisions, for budgetary and staffing needs to be considered in any proposals for new tasks, and for the relevant committee to adopt terms of reference before hiring external consultants;

35. Underlines the importance of interinstitutional transparency in the EU’s position for CITES meetings; calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that all Council decisions relating to the EU position for CITES meetings are publicly available to all EU institutions ahead of these meetings; underlines the importance of transparency in the development of the EU’s positions for CITES meetings to facilitate stakeholders engagement and contributions before and during the CoPs;

Funding and other resources

36. Calls on the Commission and all Parties to guarantee sufficient financial, human, technical and technological resources for the proper implementation and enforcement of the Convention, while optimising the use of current resources and mechanisms;

37. Expresses concern about the increasing workload of the CITES Secretariat, the Conference of the Parties and the committees in relation to their available resources;

38. Regrets that an increasing number of decisions mandated by the CITES Parties remain partially or wholly unfulfilled due to both insufficient resources and the failure to appropriately prioritise the allocation of the resources available for their implementation; calls on the Secretariat and the Parties to prioritise issues relating to the core mandate of CITES and to redirect resources to these issues;

39. Calls for the next EU multiannual financial framework to allocate dedicated funding to combating illegal wildlife trade and supporting the sustainable use of natural resources; underlines the importance of integrating environmental crime, including wildlife crime, into future EU budgetary priorities, through a comprehensive approach that combines security, prevention, enforcement and international cooperation aspects;

CITES strategic vision: 2021-2030