Assessment of the need for, added value of and feasibility of criminalising all trade in illegally sourced wildlife across the EU

The study evaluated the need, added value, and feasibility of revising the current EU legislative framework on illegal wildlife trade, specifically to address the criminalisation of trade involving wildlife that is taken or harvested in violation of the laws of the country of origin, as in the case of the U.S. Lacey Act. The study included (a) a comprehensive review of the relevant international and EU legal instruments, (b) an analysis of the wildlife trade flows involving the EU which are not covered by the current legislative framework, (c) an assessment of the legal feasibility of introducing a criminalisation provision at the EU-level based on the breach of foreign laws, and (c) a set of potential policy options and alternatives to criminalising all trade in illegally sourced wildlife. Views from stakeholders were solicited through interviews and webinars and were taken into account during the development of the study. The final study report is available here: Criminalisation of Illegally Sourced Wildlife Trade.