Illegal
trade in wildlife is a serious worldwide business. Europe
is one of the world's largest and most diverse markets for
wildlife products. Besides the loss of habitats and the decline
of ecosystems, this is a major threat to the survival of rare
and endangered species. Regulation of international movement
of wildlife and wildlife products is acknowledged internationally
as an important element of effective nature conservation.
CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora came into force 1975. The
establishment of the European Single Market and legislation
on nature protection raised the need for new and more comprehensive
EU regulations, thus the Wildlife Trade Regulation came into
force in 1997. The new member states and accession countries
need enhanced capacities to be able to face the challenges
arising from their status as the outside borders of the EU.
Recognizing this, CEEWEB member organizations decided to
establish the CITES Working Group dedicated to fight illegal
trade in wildlife. It aims to provide its members with a platform
for information exchange and enhance their capacities with
regards to the relevant legislation frameworks. Through its
common communication strategy the Working Group targets all
relevant stakeholders, including scientific and management
authorities, police and customs officers and raises awareness
taking into account the relevant regulations.
The CITES Working Group of CEEWEB focuses on the enhancement
of the implementation of the CITES in Central and Eastern
Europe and pays special attention for the implementation of
the provisions of the EU Wildlife Trade Regulation [regulation
(EC) 338/97] which goes beyond CITES in several aspects. The
application of the provisions of EU-WTR and awareness raising
among key stakeholders concerning the CITES and the EU-WTR
will definitely contribute to the enlargement process. This
is of special importance as many CEE countries, after the
enlargement process became border-countries of the EU, with
important mission in the regulation of the trade with endangered
animals and plants.
The CITES Working Group has a special focus on the outer
borders of the (envisaged) enlarged EU as well as on the international
airports (as these are the points where specimens can be smuggled
inside the EU). To maximize effect it's very important to
create different awareness raising strategies for the different
stakeholders (for example enhance the sense of responsibility
of the custom officers, win the sympathy of the consumers,
etc.). The WG should be the initiator and should catalyze
the development of regional cooperation between different
stakeholder groups.
With suggestions or questions please contact
Marton A. Kelemen, the Chair of the Working Group.
Illegal
trade in wildlife is a serious worldwide business. Europe
is one of the world's largest and most diverse markets for
wildlife products. Besides the loss of habitats and the decline
of ecosystems, this is a major threat to the survival of rare
and endangered species. Regulation of international movement
of wildlife and wildlife products is acknowledged internationally
as an important element of effective nature conservation.
CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora came into force 1975. The
establishment of the European Single Market and legislation
on nature protection raised the need for new and more comprehensive
EU regulations, thus the Wildlife Trade Regulation came into
force in 1997. The new member states and accession countries
need enhanced capacities to be able to face the challenges
arising from their status as the outside borders of the EU.
