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Strasbourg, 23 August 2017 T-PVS/Files (2017) 8 [files08e_2017.docx] CONVENTION ON THE CONSERVATION OF EUROPEAN WILDLIFE AND NATURAL HABITATS Standing Committee 37th meeting Strasbourg, 5-8 December 2017 __________ Complaints on stand-by Presumed deliberate killing of birds & Alleged deliberate killing of birds of prey in Serbia - REPORT BY THE GOVERNMENT - Document prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, Serbia ____________________________________________________________________ This document will not be distributed at the meeting. Please bring this copy. Ce document ne sera plus distribué en réunion. Prière de vous munir de cet exemplaire. T-PVS/Files (2017) 8 - 2 - - UPDATED AUGUST 2017 - REPORT ON THE COMPLAINT NO. 2014/3 - ASSUMED DELIBERATE KILLING OF BIRDS IN SERBIA, AND REPORT ON THE COMPLAINT NO. 2016/3 - PRESUMED DELIBERATE KILLING OF BIRDS IN SERBIA IN 2017 In the course of the complaint proceedings, and at the request of the Secretariat and the Bureau of the Bern Convention, the Ministry of Environmental Protection implements planned measures in cooperation with other competent authorities and organizations, duly providing relevant information, involving NGOs and raising public awareness of the importance of addressing the relevant issues at national level. The report on the progress made in dealing with the cases referred to in the Complaint No. 2014/3 and the Complaint No. 2016/3 was prepared based on the official reports submitted by the competent institutions and organizations at national and regional level. 1. INSPECTION SURVEILLANCE AND CONTROL 1.1 The Bird Protection and Study Society of Serbia filed to the Phytosanitary Inspection the complaint about illegal sale of the prohibited plant protection product Furadan No: 13-2017 of 11 March 2017, against a private person Željko Tepić from Golubinci (Serbia – AP Vojvodina) suspected of advertising the sale of the banned pesticide FURADAN 35 ST at the following Internet address: http://www.kupujemprodajem.com/furadan‐35‐st‐42475438‐oglas.htm?filter_id=133788 http://www.kupujemprodajem.com/pesticidi‐izuzetno‐povoljne‐cene‐34370113‐oglas.htm?filter_i d=133788 The suspect advertises and sells a large number of plant protection products and other pesticides via his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ztepic/photos_all 1.2 Acting on the aforementioned Complaint, the Phytosanitary Inspection informed the Bird Protection and Study Society that referring to the Complaint No. 13-2017 of 03.11.2017, the following measures were taken: the Ministry of Interior, City Police Directorate Sremska Mitrovica, that is, Police Station Stara Pazova, searched the premises occupied by Željko Tepić from Golubinci and on that occasion seized the items found at the investigation site. A criminal charge was filed against the aforementioned person to the City of Stara Pazova Public Prosecutor’s Office for the crime of illegal trade activities under Article 243 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Serbia; this criminal charge was filed under the number KU-719/17. The criminal proceeding is currently in process. 2. MEETING BETWEEN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND THE MINISTRY OF INTERIOR On Thursday, March 16th 2017, a meeting was held in Belgrade between the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Interior to discuss the Council of Europe’s complaints regarding possible violation of the Bern Convention and the preparation of a progress report on the measures undertaken to prevent illegal poisoning of strictly protected bird species and illegal use and trade in prohibited chemical substances for plant protection (Carbofuran/Furadan 35 SТ) as the most common cause of poisoning. The meeting was attended by the representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, Department for Environmental Protection and Environmental Inspection Department, representatives of the Ministry of Interior from Border Police Directorate, Criminal Police Directorate (Organized Crime Department and Crime Prevention Service) and the International Operational Police Cooperation Department (INTERPOL-EUROPOL-SELEC). - 3 - T-PVS/Files (2017) 8 According to the sphere of action, it was agreed to establish continuous control and supervision including efficient and effective on-site inspection in cooperation with the public prosecutor as well as the exchange of detailed information referring to reports on illegal actions. It was also agreed to speed up the adoption by the Government of the Protocol on the Actions and Co-operation between Authorities and Organizations in Eradicating the Illegal Killing, Trapping and Trade of Wild Animal Species. 3. PROTOCOL ON THE ACTIONS AND COOPERATION BETWEEN AUTHORITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS IN ERADICATING THE ILLEGAL KILLING, TRAPPING AND TRADE IN WILD ANIMAL SPECIES The Draft of the Protocol on the Actions and Cooperation Between Authorities and Organizations in Eradicating the Illegal Killing, Trapping and Trade in Wild Animal Species was drafted in accordance with the international agreements, including the Tunis Action Plan (2011-2020). The Draft of this document was extended at the request of interested parties so as to include handling cases of illegal killing, trapping and trade in all wild animal species, which required a special approach to redefining the document. The Draft of this document is currently in the process of obtaining the opinions of the competent authorities, which is necessary procedure prior to the adoption of the document by the Government. 4. FURADAN 35 ST STOCKS In accordance with Article 36, paragraph 4, of the Law on Waste Management, a permit for the export of 200 tons of stored waste from Serbia to Austria has been obtained, as well as all required permissions of all transit countries (Croatia and Slovenia). This permit – the Hazardous waste export permit (No. 19-00-00982/2015-16) is attached to this report. Based on the inspection of the documentation and records provided by the operator Kemis Ltd. from Valjevo (Serbia), it was established that based on the export permit No. 18-00-00982/2015-16 of 25th October 2016, the export of waste pesticide known under a tradename Furadan (Carbofuran), index number 07 04 08 *, in a total quantity of 25.78 tons was carried out. Given that the quantity of stocks of pesticides to be exported from Serbia was established, the operator KEMIS Ltd. from Valjevo has submitted a new request No. 19-00-00339/2017-16 of 24. 05./2017 for the export of hazardous waste - inorganic pesticides and organic solvents in the quantity of 100 tons to Austria. The relevant procedure is currently in progress. 5. ROTTERDAM CONVENTION Carbofuran, classified among pesticides, is a banned active substance in the Republic of Serbia (Decision No. 321-01-2585/2013-11 of 31 December 2013) according to the Law on Plant Protection Products (“Official Gazette of the RS”, No. 41/09) and the List of Approved Substances (“Official Gazette of the RS”, No. 107/15). The production, import, placing on the market or use of Carbofuran on the territory of the Republic of Serbia has been banned since 31st December 2013. Moreover, Carbofuran is on the List of chemicals subject to notification procedure and the List of chemicals subject to prior informed consent procedure (PIC procedure) of the Rulebook on the import and export оf certain hazardous chemicals (“Official Gazette of the RS”, No. 89/10 and 15/13), in accordance with the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade with amendments (“Official Gazette of the RS – International Agreements”, No. 38/09). At the 8th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention (of 2009) held from 24th April to 5th 2017 a decision to list Carbofuran as pesticide in Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention was adopted. Аnnex III consists of chemicals which when imported are subject to prior informed consent procedure. Including carbofuran in Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention was supported by the Republic of Serbia. This means that all Parties to the Convention will have to comply with the obligation, coming into force in a year from now, to respect the response (whether it approves or not) of another Party regarding the future import of that chemical. Previously, this obligation applied only to countries that were implementing provisions of the EU Regulation 649/2012 on the T-PVS/Files (2017) 8 - 4 - import and export of hazardous chemicals. So far, the Republic of Serbia has not received any request for approval of the import or export of Carbofuran. 6. PROJECTS ARE ONGOING 6.1 Project (LIFE15NAT/HU/000902) „Conservation of the eastern imperial eagle by decreasing human-caused mortality in the Pannonian Region, for period 1. 10. 2016.- 30. 3. 2021. Coordination users are ММЕ Bird Life Hungary in cooperation with other users from Austria, Check Republic, Hungary, Slovak Republic and Republic of Serbia. User from the Republic of Serbia is Institute for Nature Protection of Vojvodina Province. The aim of the project is increasing of population of strictly protected species of imperial eagle ( Aquila heliaca) in the Pannonian Region including significant reduction in mortality caused by humans. 6.2 The Project “Civil society and the public together to improve the environmental situation in Serbia” is ongoing within the Programe which runs the project: "Support to civil society and media in the field of European integration" and financied by the Kingdom of Sweden. Contractor of this project is the Association for Bird Protection and Study Serbia. Activities to mitigate the effects of suffering birds of prey are supported within the these projects. 7. POISONED WHITE-TAILED EAGLE SAVED Increasing number of saved and released wild birds affected by poisoning: 4 White-tailed Eagles in 2016/17. Poisoned white-tailed Eagle near Sanad (Vojvodina) saved and realise. This eagle has regurgitated entire stomach contents after threatment with the antidote. The recovery was very fast and bird was released on following day, especially bearing in mind that it was found nor far from the active nest.