What are the differences between EU controls and CITES?
Within the European Union the CITES Appendices (I, II and III) are replaced by four Annexes (A, B, C & D). All CITES species are included within the EU Annexes and a number of additional species are also listed. The EU Annexes generally relate to the CITES Appendices, with Annex A being equivalent to Appendix I, but the EU Annexes are in some cases are stricter than CITES itself. A CITES Appendix II species can be listed on Annex A of the EU Regulations, meaning that import conditions are more strict for EU countries than other CITES Parties. Annex D includes species that are not listed on CITES, but the EU has determined that the trade levels into the Community warrant monitoring in order to establish if trade to the EU is a potential threat.