New EU rules on the trade in ivory come into effect today, 19 Janaury 2022.

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.