Press Release: Conservation in Zoos: Commission requests ten Member States to improve standards

The European Commission has formally requested that Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Austria and Finland implement EU legislation with regard to zoos into their national legislation. The ten Member States cited have failed to meet an agreed April 2002 deadline for adopting national legislation to implement an EU law designed to improve the conservation role of zoos. This Directive was adopted to ensure that the keeping of animals in zoos throughout the European Union is done in a way that preserves wild species and respects their welfare, while at the same time retaining a role of education of the public and of scientific research.