EU rules ivory musical instruments

Eu ivory ban: Pearle* together with CSFI and FIM express concerns (February 2021)

The Commission has changed its approach: The latest draft guidance document does not refer anymore to the date when the ivory was taken from the wild. It now refers to the date when the items containing ivory were made, which makes a massive difference for musical instruments.

CSFI, FIM and Pearle* had welcomed the Commission's proposal on an exemption for musical instruments. However, this new approach is hugely worrying, as pre-1975 ivory has been and continues to be used for the making of musical instruments and bows. Should this new, revised guidance be adopted, the resale of bows and musical instruments would instantly become illegal and would lead to a situation where instruments and bows must be taken out of the market prematurely, even if their state is perfectly fine to play music.

Read the full joint statement:

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