January 19th, 2022
New EU ivory rules and musical instruments
Today, new EU ivory rules come into effect in all Member States. They include an exemption for musical instruments which allows those containing small parts of ivory to be sold and restored under certain conditions.

The signatories of the statement welcome the exemption for musical instruments and wish to express their support for the measures taken by the European Commission to regulate the ivory trade in order to protect elephants from poaching and the trafficking that accompanies it.

However, the new rules present inconsistencies that expose our sector to very heavy consequences, without any benefit for the achievement of the objectives of the rules.

The main point of concern is the definition of a musical instrument which "must be or have been recently used by a performer". This criterion is clearly incompatible with the reality of our sector and creates legal uncertainty.

The new EU ivory rules do not have an impact on the travelling of musical instruments for concerts or other non-commercial purposes.

Document
Music industry statement on the trade in ivory and musical instruments
#positionpaper
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