No more coatis as pets Pierre-Philippe Marcou/AFP/Getty

Time to exit the EU? Thirty seven species of mammals, exotic pets, birds, crustaceans and plants are officially unwanted in Europe as of this week, after the European Commission’s first list of invasive alien species came into force.

If you’re in the EU and own a Siberian chipmunk (Tamias sibiricus) or raccoon (Procyon lotor), it’s likely to be your last, while if you adorn your garden with water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) you had better eke it out for as long as you can.

The 37-strong blacklist has emerged from the EU’s invasive alien species regulation, under which member states must put in place surveillance, rapid response and management plans.


“We are acting on a problem that cannot be ignored as it costs us over €12 billion every year,” says Karmenu Vella, European environment commissioner. Action was needed at the EU level because invasive species don’t stop at borders, he says.

National plans

Member states don’t have to eradicate species that are already widespread, but must prevent their spread. Pets can be kept until they die, and shops and zoos have two years to run down stocks. Each country chooses how to tackle the blacklist and there is some funding to help them do this, for example through the EU LIFE programme.

The list includes some species that are already widespread such as the grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) and the Muntjac deer (Muntiacus reevesii) in the UK and the raccoon in Germany, but also those that are still nibbling at the fringes, like the South American coati (Nasua nasua) which has reached Mallorca in Spain.

Five species of crayfish are on the list, all of which infect local rivals with crayfish plague. Three alien squirrels – the fox squirrel (Sciurus niger), grey squirrel and Pallas’s squirrel (Callosciurus erythraeus) are included.

What’s missing?

The sacred ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus), spreading rapidly in southern Europe and predating local birds, is also included.

There are 14 plants, but common irritants, such as Japanese knotweed, giant hogweed and common ragweed, are absent, as are any freshwater invertebrates or marine species.

“We are all a bit concerned with the low numbers of species on the list,” said Sven Bacher, who studies biological invasions at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland. “We estimate there are around 1000 to 1500 invasive alien species in Europe and this is only a very poor selection.”

Vellas says the list will be regularly updated, however, so it is possible that other species will be added in future years.

Read more: Animal invaders on Europe’s kill list are set to be wiped out