92002E1813

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1813/02

by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission

(25 June 2002)

Subject: CITES

Is it the Commission's intention to press at the next opportunity to have the basking shark listed as having priority status as an endangered species under the CITES?

If so, how strongly does the Commission rate its chances of success?

Are there any steps which the European Parliament, parliaments in Member States, or individual parliamentarians should take with a view to improving the chances of success?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(25 July 2002)

As the Community is not yet a party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the Commission does not have the authority to make proposals of its own.

Instead, proposals are brought forward by a Member State having been endorsed by all other Member States prior to their submission to the CITES Secretariat. They are then submitted to the Secretariat by the relevant Member State on behalf of the Member States of the European Community.

In the case of the Basking Shark, the United Kingdom, following agreement by the Community's CITES Management Committee, has submitted a revised proposal for the next CITES Conference of the Parties (to be held in Santiago, Chile, from 3-15 November 2002) to have the species listed on Appendix II of CITES. This was done in May 2002. The Commission fully supports this proposal both from an environmental and a fisheries perspective.

On the last occasion when the listing of this species was considered, the main objection raised was that this issue was more properly the responsibility of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). The proposal was narrowly defeated.

There are two factors that have changed since the last Conference of the Parties:

- FAO have in the meantime agreed an interpretation of the CITES selection criteria for commercial fish species and the proposal made on behalf of the Community Member States demonstrates that the basking shark meets these criteria;

- as a CITES Party, the United Kingdom has also consulted FAO and relevant Regional Fisheries Organisations and has not had any negative response.

Lobbying of those countries which expressed opposition at the last Conference by all those interested in the conservation of the basking shark could be helpful.