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The European Community and Trade in Wild
Fauna and Flora
 Annually, international trade in specimens of wild animals
and plants is estimated to be worth billions of Euro and to
include hundreds of millions of plant and animal specimens.
The trade is diverse, ranging from live animals and plants
to products derived from them, including food products, leather
goods, timber, and medicines.
The Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES),
which was signed in 1973, aims to ensure that international
trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten
their survival. It accords varying degrees of protection to
more than 30.000 species of animals and plants. CITES works
by making international trade in specimens of selected species
subject to certain controls. These require that the import,
export, re-export and introduction from the sea of species
covered by the Convention have to be authorized through a
licensing system. The species covered by CITES are listed
in three Appendices, according to the degree of protection
they need.
Although the European Union is not yet a Party to CITES,
its provisions have been implemented in Community law since
1982, when the first Community-wide legislation implementing
the Convention entered into force.
For any further information or need to contact the CITES
team of the European Commission please e-mail to: env-cites@ec.europa.eu |
