EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking

In February 2016, the European Commission adopted a Communication on the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking which sets out a comprehensive blueprint for joined-up efforts to fight wildlife crime inside the EU, and for strengthening the EU's role in the global fight against these illegal activities. The plan has three main strands – better enforcement, enhanced cooperation, and more effective prevention. The Action Plan runs until 2020 and is being implemented jointly by the EU (Commission services, EEAS, Europol, Eurojust) and its Member States.

In June 2016, the EU Members States' environment ministers adopted Council conclusions on the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking endorsing the three priorities of the plan and calling for timely implementation of the relevant actions by the Commission, the High Representative, Europol, Eurojust and the EU Member States. Moreover, a resolution on the EU Action Plan was adopted by the European Parliament in 24 November 2016.

Key documents:

Progress made

In October 2018, the Commission adopted a progress report on the implementation of the Action Plan. The report is accompanied by a document containing an overview of measures taken to achieve the objectives of the Action Plan. More detailed information can be found in the individual EU countries’ contributions to the report.

News release: Wildlife trafficking has become a priority issue in Europe, but more needs to be done

Progress made during the remaining years and the overall success of the Action Plan in curbing wildlife trafficking will be evaluated in 2020.