With the missions of progressive zoos and aquariums depending on good legislation, it is important that our community contributes to the legislative process. In the EAZA region, much of it is regulated on the EU level. While EAZA's advocacy team engages with the EU institutions, EAZA Members are strongly encouraged to engage with EU representatives from their countries.
On 14-15 January, 22 participants from 12 nationalities, representing 11 EAZA zoos, six national zoo associations and the World Association of Zoos and Aquaria, gathered in the EAZA office in Brussels (Belgium) for the EAZA EU Study visit.
Organised yearly by the EAZA Advocacy team, this event provides insights in the legislative decision-making processes at the European level, networking opportunities and tips to engage with your EU representatives.
After an introduction on the EU legislative landscape, its actors and the priorities of the European Commission for 2024-2029, the participants headed to the European Commission to meet several Policy Officers from the Directorate-General for the Environment (DG ENV) and discuss some of the current key topics for species conservation.
Zoo licensing in all EU Member States is under the umbrella of the EU Zoos Directive. EAZA calls for full and effective implementation of this Directive by individual countries, to maximise the contribution of zoos and aquariums to nature conservation while ensuring appropriate conditions for animals in their care.
Ute Goerres provided updates about the Zoos Directive and how it connects with the EU Biodiversity Strategy and Global Biodiversity Framework.
One of EAZA's priorities in this decade is the fight against illegal, unsustainable and unethical wildlife trade. During the visit, we met with EU CITES team and with TRAFFIC to discuss opportunities for even stronger contribution to EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking. Agata Sobiech presented the latest revisions made to this plan. Anastasiya Timoshyna, Director of TRAFFIC Europe, gave us an update on the status of animal trade in Europe.
Invasive Alien Species (IAS) are a threat to native biodiversity but some EU IAS-listed species require conservation actions, such as being managed as EAZA Ex situ Programmes in zoos and aquariums, as they are threatened in other regions. Our community has been involved in long-term conversations on this topic with Daniel Nuijten, who shared updates and plans for the next expansion of the EU IAS list.
We also met with other Brussels-based nature organisations, including BirdLife Europe, represented by Marion Bessol and Erica Gentili, who requested our support for their lead ban campaign.
Nick Clark from Eurogroup for Animals talked about their proposal for positive lists and other solutions for improving the welfare of animals kept as pets.
Boris Erg, Director of the IUCN Europe Regional Office, was pleased to see that many participants were also IUCN members. He reminded them how they can impact policy making by submitting motions ahead of the next IUCN World Conservation Congress.
With a new Parliament in place since June 2024, it is important to build relationships with the new Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) representing you and your country.
Meeting them is the best opportunity to highlight and inform them of priorities and concerns for zoos and aquariums. How else are they going to make the right decisions when it comes to voting for legislation that impacts our work?
Many individual meetings organised by the participants with their national representatives, MEPs and embassies took place to explain what the EAZA community needs from EU policy and how we can contribute to our common goals.
Special shout out to our enthusiastic tour guide Tom, who was as eager to learn about the work of zoos as he was to share his knowledge about the European Union.
With an interactive presentation at the European Parliament, he reminded us why the EU started, how it evolved and what glues the Member States together, despite their cultural differences. Just like in the EAZA community, individual countries within the EU can do a lot alone, but together, they’re a powerhouse! Sharing similar values and making decisions together, EU Member States (and EAZA Members) have a much bigger impact and higher chance of successfully reaching their common goals.
On 16 January, our bravest participants took the train to Antwerp to visit the zoo and get a private tour of one of the EAZA Biobank hub.
We thank everyone for their participation and look forward to welcoming another group next year!
Would you like to know more about how to engage with your EU representatives?