Vol. 432 No. 3
33 Ms Keogh asked the Minister for Finance if it is the case that Ireland is the only EC country not to have ratified the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora; if so, if he intends to rectify the matter; the means by which he intends to do so; and the timeframe involved.
Ireland is the only EC country not have ratified the CITES Convention, although it has only been ratified recently by Greece.
Ireland signed the Convention in 1974 subject to ratification. Ireland fully intends to ratify the Convention and has recently informed the European Commission of this fact. There are concerns that there may be technical discrepancies between the terms of the Convention and some aspects of Irish law. The matter is currently being examined by the Attorney General's Office. Once it is resolved ratification will proceed forth-with and a motion will be put before the Dáil to ratify the Convention. I cannot give a precise time frame at this juncture for ratification but I would hope that the legal questions will be resolved by the end of the year. The Deputy should be aware that Ireland fully observes the requirements of the CITES Convention which became binding on the European Community as a whole under EC Regulation 3626/82. Ratification of the Convention by Ireland is therefore largely a technical matter.
