>It's my understanding (based on information from several major
>British CP nurseries) that under the current EEC agreements,
>CITES permits are no longer necessary for the trade of plants
>within the European Community. Does anyone have any solid
>information to refute this ?
>
CITES permits are, as you say, no longer needed BUT we wouldn't be a united
Europe if one country wasn't a bit more demanding than the others.
Germany still insists on receiving CITES paperwork for shipments of CITES
plants.
So : all our shipments of orchids within the EC (Germany excluded) travel
without CITES and all our shipments bound for Germany are delayed for at
least 2-3 weeks (the time needed in Belgium to obtain CITES and
phytosanitary certificates).
regards,
Kenneth Bruyninckx
Akerne Orchids
Laarsebeekdreef 4
B-2900 Schoten
Belgium
tel : Int'l + 32-3-651.40.36
fax : Int'l + 32-3-653.06.76
e-mail : akerne@innet.be