On Tuesday 16 May, the European Commission adopted new guidelines governing the trade in ivory within the EU and the re-export of raw ivory, as provided for by the action plan of the EU to halt the criminal trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora. This is a step towards the ban on exporting raw ivory, which will apply from 1 July of this year.
On the same day, the decision was made to allocate €2.25 million to the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to help implement the decisions adopted at the Conference of the Parties in October 2016 (see EUROPE 11639).
“Our financial support to developing countries will strengthen their capacity to implement the CITES Convention. This is essential to achieve progress in the fight against poaching and for sustainable wildlife trade”, the European Commissioner for the Environment, Karmenu Vella, said in a press release.
The guideline document adopted by the Commission constitutes assistance to implement European Regulation 338/97. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)