EU launches action plan to tackle wildlife trafficking

An European Union (EU) Action Plan has been adopted to tackle wildlife trafficking within the EU and to strengthen the bloc's role in the global fight against these illegal activities, the European Commission said in a press release on Friday.

The Action Plan is an ambitious blueprint that mobilizes all EU diplomatic, trade and development cooperation tools to crack down on what has become one of the most profitable criminal activities worldwide, said the press release.

Recent years have seen a dramatic surge in wildlife trafficking, which not only threatens the survival of some emblematic species, but also breeds corruption, claims human victims, and deprives poorer communities of much-needed income.

Moreover, it also threatens security in Central Africa, where militia and terrorist groups partly fund their activities through wildlife trafficking, said the press release.

The Action Plan was prepared jointly by a core team co-chaired by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice-President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini and Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella, with the close involvement of Commissioners for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica and for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos.

It comprises 32 measures that the EU and its 28 member states are to be carried out by 2020, focusing on three priorities: preventing trafficking and reduce supply and demand of illegal wildlife products, enhancing implementation of existing rules and combat organized crime more effectively, as well as strengthening cooperation between source, destination and transit countries.

The Action Plan would be presented to the EU member states for endorsement in the coming weeks, according to the press release. Endit