Keeping of animals in zoos: minimum standards. Council Recommendation

The report adopted, drafted by Mr Ian WHITE (PES, UK), wants major changes to a Commission proposal for a Council Recommendation on keeping animals in zoos: - turning the proposal for a non-binding Council Recommendation into a legally binding European Parliament and Council Directive; - extending the legal base of the proposal (contrary to the advice of Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee) from cooperation (in respect of an environmental matter on which Council has the final say) to codecision (in respect also of the internal market, where Parliament has an equal say with Council); - turning the "guidelines" proposed by the Commission for animal care and accommodation into a more formal "code of practice". The Commission had originally proposed a directive but changed this to a recommendation following the Edinburgh Summit in 1992, which confirmed the principle of subsidiarity (according to which decisions should be taken at the lowest level consistent with effective action, eg by Member States where there is no need to involve the Union). However, the Environment Committee accepted the rapporteur's view that action would only be effective in this case if legislation (a directive) is adopted at Community level.