Endangered wildlife: Commission wants tighter rules to protect wild animals and plants from unsustainable international trade

The Commission has adopted a proposal to tighten the international rules for trading in rare species such as the great white shark, the Napoleon fish - popular for aquariums - and timber from the rainforest tree ramin. The proposal will be discussed at the 13th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), 2-14 October 2004 in Bangkok. The Convention protects around 33,000 animals and plants against over-exploitation through international trade and ensures that such trade is sustainable. However, some countries want to ease controls for species such as the African elephant, the minke whale and the American bald eagle. The outcome of the Conference will later be reflected in EU law.