Understanding the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations
Brussels, Belgium, 22nd February 2013—TRAFFIC and the European Commission today launched an updated reference guide to the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations — the legislation whereby provisions under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) are implemented by the European Union.
The guide is available online and offers full interpretations of key elements of the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations including the Basic Regulation on the protection of species of wild fauna and flora (Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97), the Implementing Regulation (laying down how to implement the Basic Regulation (Commission Regulation (EC) No 865/2006 (as amended)) and the Suspensions Regulation, used to suspend the importation into the EU of particular species from certain countries.
It also explains recent developments with these key pieces of legislation, such as the Permit Regulation, adopted on 27 September 2012, which provides revised standard model forms that must be used for permits, certificates, notifications and applications for these documents, as well as labels for scientific specimens.
The updated guide will serve as a reference source for CITES Management and Scientific Authorities, wildlife trade enforcement officials, wildlife traders and anyone with an interest in how the legislation operates within the EU.
The latest update includes a number of measures to make the guide more user friendly, including adjustments to how the material is presented, through to the inclusion of new sections and figures.
The updated document, prepared by TRAFFIC under contract from the European Commission (EC) will be made available on the EC’s CITES webpages.
