What is the current status of the preparation of the "positive list" in the EU?

On 14 July 2023, the European Commission launched a tender for a study on the suitability
and feasibility of pan-European positive animal lists. Interested parties, who must meet a
number of conditions, could apply until 11 September. The European Commission has
started evaluating the bids received. Once the winner has been selected, the European
Commission will sign a contract with them before work on the study itself begins. The
contract is expected to be signed by the end of 2023.

Petr Roth, consultant of the Terrarium Society Prague on the issue of the introduction of positive lists of
animals in the EU, welcomes the fact that "The winner of the tender is
required to contact all the organisations and institutions that we have proposed for
the Czech directory. It is remarkable how few Member States have taken advantage of this
opportunity to report their contact addresses...." From the Czech Republic the most
nominated representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture are MVDr. Eva Kaděrková and
MVDr. Lucie Beranová, the Czech University of Agriculture in Prague is represented by doc.
 Mgr. Vladimír Vrabec Ph.D. Two organizations are reported for exotic bird breeders, Czech
Breeders Association (CSCH) and Club of Friends of Exotic Birds (KPEP), represented by
Lubomír Tomiška and Jan Potůček. Society of Poisonous Snake Breeders is represented by
Miroslav Dohnal, Terrarium Society Prague (TSP) by Dr. Petr Kodym, Ph.D,, ZOO Olomouc is
represented by Dr. Jan Pluháček, ZOO Jihlava is represented by Ing. Jan Vašák, the Zoological
Garden and Botanical Park Ostrava is represented by Mgr. Jiří Novák, the Zoological and
Botanical Garden Plzeň is represented by Ing. Jiří Trávníček, ZOO Na Hrádečku is represented
by Ing. Romana Albrecht- Lišková, Zoopark Chomutov is represented by Jaroslav Staněk.

The company selected by the European Commission to carry out the feasibility study on
positive animal lists for the whole EU must establish the rules for selecting the species of
animals allowed for captive animal breeding in the EU Member States.

Based on information from Brussels, Petr Roth expects that the winning company will not
start work on the study before January 2024. It is during the consultation period that Czech
breeders intend to present the study's contractor with the result of a signature campaign
against the introduction of EU-wide positive lists. It is therefore still the case that the
signature campaign will continue at least until the end of this year.