On 14 October 2025, Members of the European Parliament, policy experts, and civil society organisations came together for the first meeting of the re-established MEPs for Wildlife group titled “Stolen Wildlife: Closing the Gaps in EU Wildlife Trade Rules”. Hosted by MEPs César Luena (S&D), Anja Hazekamp (The Left), and Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy (Renew), and co-organised by Four Paws, Humane World for Animals, IFAW, Pro Wildlife and WCS, the event focused on how the European Union can strengthen its response to illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade.
Participants underlined that the EU remains a major destination market and transit hub for wildlife and wildlife products. While the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking has led to some progress, significant loopholes persist in EU legislation, particularly for species protected in their countries of origin but not covered by EU law or CITES. As a result, illegally sourced animals can still enter EU trade channels, fuelling biodiversity loss and animal suffering.
The event also marked the launch of the Stolen Wildlife report by Pro Wildlife, Four Paws, Humane World for Animals, IFAW, and WCS, which documents how traffickers exploit these legal gaps—especially in the exotic pet trade—and calls for decisive EU action.
These findings were echoed by a European Commission feasibility study presented at the event, confirming that wildlife taken illegally in third countries can currently enter and circulate within the EU market, while also demonstrating that viable legislative solutions are available.
Two expert panels explored concrete ways forward, including improving data collection through the expansion of the EU’s TRACES system to include species-specific information on live animal imports, and examining legislative options to criminalise the import, transhipment, purchase, and sale of wildlife taken illegally in its country of origin across the EU.
