Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-11-16-Speech-3-276"
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"en.20051116.20.3-276"2
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"Mr President, I should like to start by congratulating the rapporteur on her very honest and assiduous work and I should like to say that the proposal for a directive being debated is designed to introduce standards to safeguard relatively humane trapping conditions for the animals trapped.
This proposal is dictated by the obligation for the European Community to give international commitments to Canada, Russia and the United States. These international commitments and obligations derive from the agreement on international humane trapping standards signed in 1998 between the European Community, Canada and the Russian Federation and from another agreement of similar content signed between the European Community and the United States in the form of agreed practices.
The agreement with Canada and Russia, which has already been ratified by the European Community and Canada, will enter into force immediately after its imminent ratification by Russia, a procedure which, according to the Commission's official information, has already been set in motion. Consequently, unless the relevant Community legislation is adopted, the European Community will not be in a position to honour its international commitments when the agreement enters into force.
The scope of the proposed directive is truly restricted. Nonetheless, if it is adopted, it will provide a framework for the adoption of common standards in the European Union in order to limit unnecessary suffering and distress for the animals trapped. The proposed standards are based on the results of serious scientific work within the framework of the International Organisation for Standardisation and, more importantly, have been adopted by the World Conservation Union.
The proposal also makes provision for the Member States to be able to maintain in force and apply stricter national provisions. Furthermore, the draft directive adds to and does not subtract from existing standards on the basis of current Community legislation. For example, the ban in the European Union on the use of leghold traps based on Council Regulation 3254/91 will continue to apply even after the new directive is adopted.
I must emphasise that, during the course of the procedure, we are willing to examine the relevant amendments in order to take account of the concerns expressed by various political groups and numerous animal welfare organisations and the Commission intends to continue to work in this direction.
The rejection of the proposal will mean that the European Union will be left without any trapping standards in the immediate future and that the European Community will be unable to honour its international obligations.
To close, I should like to stress that I shall take account of Parliament's opinion and I shall evaluate the positions formulated both in Parliament and in the Council. On this basis, the Commission will decide on possible action, including the possible withdrawal of the proposal. At the same time, the Commission is planning to prepare a study with a view to updating the scientific basis for any proposal on the adoption of trapping standards. The relevant consultations with the interested parties will, of course, also be included.
Finally, I should like to express my wish to maintain good cooperation with you in the future."@en1
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