Revision of the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking

Key points

The EESC:

• welcomes the Commission's commitment to financial and human resources in the EU funds to curb wildlife trafficking by integrating wildlife trade. However, the percentage of the allocation of funds to wildlife trafficking including the training of staff to fight wildlife trafficking in Member States should be agreed upon, as well as reported, monitored, and evaluated as part of the implementation of the action plan at national level;
• underlines the importance of effective and dissuasive sanction mechanisms for wildlife trafficking. The current level of the sanctions proposed by the Council in the context of the Environmental Crime Directive is too low and should be increased for achieving a successful EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking;
• calls for homogenous structures for all Member States, which should take the form of inter-agency committees and specialized units or staff trained to combat wildlife trafficking as well as dedicated channels for communication and collaboration with social partners and civil society.