EMPACT Policy Cycle. On 27th May, NGOs urged the EU and its Member States to support the inclusion of wildlife trafficking as an area of focus under the environmental crime priority of the next European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT) policy cycle. If this issue is overlooked, the effective implementation and enforcement of relevant EU legislation and policies will be jeopardised, weakening the EU's international commitment to fight wildlife trafficking and protect biodiversity. Read more
Wildlife Trafficking. On 13th May, NGOs sent a letter to Jessika Roswall, EU Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, calling for actions to address the threats posed by wildlife trade and trafficking to biodiversity, animal welfare, and public health. EU leadership will be essential to drive the urgently needed transformative changes to our relationship with nature – for the benefit of animals, ecosystems, and people alike. Read more
European Oceans Pact. On 12th May, NGOs sent a letter to Costas Kadis, EU Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, calling for the inclusion of clear and ambitious provisions under the ‘European Oceans Pact’ for the financing required to support effective and lasting ocean conservation efforts. Aligning public and private funding streams will maximise the impact of available resources and accelerate progress toward shared ocean conservation goals. Read more
Next EU Budget. On 2nd May, WCS EU submitted a response to the EU Public Consultation on the ‘EU’s next long-term budget (MFF) – EU funding for external action’, calling for the EU to increase biodiversity financing in the next EU external funding / international cooperation budget, to ensure it meets its international obligations under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, and to enhance investment in nature and biodiversity within the Global Gateway initiative. Read more
European Oceans Pact. On 17th February, WCS EU submitted a response to the EC call for evidence on: ‘The European Oceans Pact’, calling for the EU to scale up blue economy investments in partner countries under the Global Gateway funding initiative, among others. Read more
EU One Health Strategy. On 23rd January, WCS EU and 41 organisations called for the EU to strengthen the environmental pillar in the One Health approach and to develop an ambitious EU One Health Strategy that sets out concrete and bold actions that will truly reduce the risks of pathogen spillovers and future epidemics and pandemics of zoonotic origin. Read more