List of invasive alien species of Union concern

The list of Union concern entered into force on August 3rd 2016. It has been updated on August 2nd 2017, August 15th 2019, February 2nd 2019 (raccoon dog) and May 20th 2022. Since these species are classified as invasive alien species throughout the EU, their importation, cultivation, sales and other possession or release into the environment are prohibited.

Flora

• Asiatic bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) (Thunberg) (transition period until 2.8.2027)
• Black wattle (Acacia mearnsii [as ‘mearnsi’] De Wild., Pl. Bequaert. 3: 61 (1925)) (08/2025)
• Groundsel-bush [Eastern baccharis] (Baccharis halimifolia L.) (3.8.2016).
• Sosnowsky’s hogweed (Heracleum sosnowskyi Mandenova) (3.8.2016).
• Persian hogweed (Heracleum persicum Fischer) (3.8.2016).
• Parthenium weed [Whitetop weed] (Parthenium hysterophorus L.) (3.8.2016).
• Kudzu vine (Pueraria montana (Lour.) Merr. var. lobata (Willd.) [Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi]) (3.8.2016).
• Mile-a-minute weed] [Asiatic tearthumb] (Persicaria perfoliata (L.) H. Gross [Polygonum perfoliatum L.]) (3.8.2016).
• Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca L.) (2.8.2017).
• Chilean rhubarb (Gunnera tinctoria (Molina) Mirbel) (2.8.2017).
• Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum Sommier & Levier) (2.8.2017).
• Himalayan balsam [Indian balsam] (Impatiens glandulifera) Royle) (2.8.2017).
• Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum (Trin.) A. Camus) (2.8.2017).
• Crimson fountaingrass (Pennisetum setaceum (Forssk.) Chiov. [Cenchrus setaceus (Forssk.) Morrone]) (2.8.2017).
• Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle) (15.8.2019).
• Balloon vine (Cardiospermum grandiflorum Sw.) (15.8.2019).
• Japanese hop (Humulus scandens (Lour.) Merr. [Humulus japonicus Siebold & Zucc.]) (15.8.2019).
• Vine-like fern (Lygodium japonicum (Thunb.) Sw.) (15.8.2019).
• Perrenial veldt grass (Ehrharta calycina Sm.) (15.8.2019).
• Chinese bushclover (Lespedeza cuneata (Dum.Cours.) G.Don [Lespedeza juncea var. sericea (Thunb.) Lace & Hauech]) (15.8.2019).
• Chinese tallow (Triadica sebifera (L.) Small [Sapium sebiferum (L.) Roxb.]) (15.8.2019).
• Mesquite (Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC.) (15.8.2019).
• Broomsedge bluestem (Andropogon virginicus L.) (15.8.2019).
• Purple pampas grass (Cortaderia jubata (Lemoine ex Carrière) Stapf) (15.8.2019).
• Golden wreath wattle (Acacia saligna (Labill.) H.L. Wendl. [Acacia cyanophylla Lindl.]) (15.8.2019).
• Silky hakea (Hakea sericea) (2.8.2022)
• Himalayan knotweed (Koenigia polystachya) (2.8.2022)
• Paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) L'Hér ex Vent.) (08/2025).
• German ivy (Delairea odorata Lem.) (08/2025).
• Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica Houtt.) (08/2025).
• Giant knotweed (Reynoutria sachalinensis (F. Schmidt) Nakai) (08/2025).
• Bohemian knotweed (Reynoutria × bohemica Chrtek & Chrtková) (08/2025).

Aquatic plants

• Carolina fanwort (Cabomba caroliniana Gray) (3.8.2016).
• Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes (Martius) Solms) (3.8.2016).
• Floating pennywort (Hydrocotyle ranunculoides L. f.) (3.8.2016).
• Curly waterweed [African elodea] (Lagarosiphon major (Ridley) Moss) (3.8.2016).
• Water-primrose (Ludwigia grandiflora (Michx.) Greuter & Burdet) (3.8.2016).
• Floating primrose-willow (Ludwigia peploides (Kunth) P.H. Raven) (3.8.2016).
• Yellow skunk cabbage [American skunk cabbage] (Lysichiton americanus Hultén & St. John) (3.8.2016).
• Parrot’s feather (Myriophyllum aquaticum (Vell.) Verdc.) (3.8.2016).
• Alligator weed (Alternanthera philoxeroides) (Mart.) Griseb. (2.8.2017).
• Nuttall's waterweed (Elodea nuttallii) (Planch.) St. John) (2.8.2017).
• Broadleaf watermilfoil (Myriophyllum heterophyllum Michaux) (2.8.2017).
• Senegal tea plant (Gymnocoronis spilanthoides (D.Don ex Hook. & Arn.) DC.) (15.8.2019).
• Salvinia moss (Salvinia molesta D.S. Mitch. [Salvinia adnata Desv.]) (15.8.2019).
• Water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) (Linnaeus) (2.8.2024)
• New Zealand pygmyweed (Crassula helmsii (Kirk) Cockayne) (08/2025).
• Japanese eelgrass (Nanozostera japonica (Ascherson & Graebner) Tomlinson & Posluszny, 2001) (08/2025).

Alga

• Rugulopteryx okamurae (2.8.2022)

Birds

• Indian house crow (Corvus splendens Viellot, 1817) (3.8.2016).
• Ruddy duck (Oxyura jamaicensis Gmelin, 1789) (3.8.2016).
• Sacred ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus Latham, 1790) (3.8.2016).
• Common myna (Acridotheres tristis Linnaeus, 1766) (15.8.2019)
• Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus Linnaeus, 1766) (2.8.2017).
• Red-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer) (Linnaeus) (2.8.2022)
• Crested myna (Acridotheres cristatellus (Linnaeus, 1758)( (08/2025).
• Red-whiskered bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus (Linnaeus, 1758)) (08/2025).

Fish

• Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus Linnaeus, 1758) (15.8.2019).
• Striped eel catfish (Plotosus lineatus (Thunberg, 1787)) (15.8.2019).
• Amur sleeper [Chinese sleeper] (Perccottus glenii Dybowski, 1877) (3.8.2016).
• Topmouth gudgeon [Stone moroko] (Pseudorasbora parva Temminck & Schlegel, 1846) (3.8.2016).
• Mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus) (transition period until 2.8.2024)
• White perch (Morone americana) (2.8.2022)
• Black bullhead (Ameiurus melas) (Rafinesque) (2.8.2022)
• Northern snakehead (Channa argus) (Cantor) (2.8.2022)
• Western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) (Biard & Girard) (2.8.2022)
• Eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) (Girard) (2.8.2022)
• Pond loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus (Cantor, 1842)) (08/2025).
• Asian weather loach (Misgurnus bipartitus (Sauvage & Dabry de Thiersant, 1874)) (08/2025).

Mammals

• Pallas’s squirrel (Callosciurus erythraeus Pallas, 1779) (3.8.2016).
• Small Asian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus Hodgson, 1836 [Herpestes javanicus É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1818]) (3.8.2016).
• [South American] coati (Nasua nasua Linnaeus, 1766) (3.8.2016).
• Coypu [Nutria] (Myocastor coypus Molina, 1782) (3.8.2016).
• Reeves’ muntjac [Muntjac deer] (Muntiacus reevesi Ogilby, 1839) (3.8.2016).
• Raccoon (Procyon lotor Linnaeus, 1758) (3.8.2016).
• Fox squirrel [Bryant's fox squirrel] (Sciurus niger Linnaeus, 1758) (3.8.2016).
• Grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis Gmelin, 1788) (3.8.2016).
• Siberian chipmunk (Tamias sibiricus Laxmann, 1769) (3.8.2016).
• Raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides Gray, 1834) (2.8.2017).
• Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus Linnaeus, 1766) (2.8.2017).
• Indian spotted deer (Axis axis) (2.8.2022)
• Finlayson’s squirrel (Callosciurus finlaysonii) (Horsfield) (2.8.2022)
• Canadian beaver (Castor canadensis Kuhl, 1820) (transition period until 08/2027)
• Sika deer (Cervus nippon Temminck, 1838) (08/2025)
• American mink (Neogale vison (Schreber, 1777)) (transition period until 08/2027).

Amphibians

• American bullfrog (Lithobates (Rana) catesbeianus Shaw, 1802) (3.8.2016).
• African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) (Daudin) (2.8.2024)

Reptiles

• Red-eared slider [Yellow-bellied slider] [Cumberland slider] (Trachemys scripta Schoepff, 1792) (3.8.2016).
• Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula) (2.8.2022)

Creyfishes and crabs

• Chinese mittencrab (Eriocheir sinensis H. Milne Edwards, 1854) (3.8.2016).
• Spiny-cheek crayfish (Faxonius limosus [Orconectes limosus] Rafinesque, 1817) (3.8.2016).
• Virile crayfish (Faxonius virilis [Orconectes virilis] Hagen, 1870) (3.8.2016).
• Signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus Dana, 1852) (3.8.2016).
• Red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii Girard, 1852) (3.8.2016).
• Marmorkrebs [Marbled crayfish] (Procamparus fallax (Hagen, 1870) f. virginalis) (3.8.2016).
• Rusty crayfish (Faxonius rusticus) (Girard) (2.8.2022).
• Common yabby (Cherax destructor Clark, 1936) (08/2025).
• Calico crayfish (Faxonius immunis (Hagen, 1870)) (08/2025).

Insects

• Asian hornet (Vespa velutina nigrithorax de Buysson, 1905) (3.8.2016).
• Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia Smith, 1852) (08/2025).
• Tropical fire ant (Solenopsis geminata) (Fabricius) (2.8.2022)
• Red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) (Buren) (2.8.2022)
• Black imported fire ant (Solenopsis richteri) (Forel) (2.8.2022)
• Little fire ant ( Wasmannia auropunctata) (2.8.2022)
• Asian needle ant (Brachyponera chinensis (Emery, 1895)) (08/2025).

Other invertebrates

• New Zealand flatworm (Arthurdendyus triangulatus (Dendy, 1894) Jones and Gerard (1999)) (15.8.2019).
• Obama nungara (Obama nungara Carbayo, Álvarez-Presas, Jones & Riutort, 2016) (08/2025).
• New Guinea flatworm (Platydemus manokwari de Beauchamp, 1963) (08/2025).
• Shovel headed garden worm (Bipalium kewense Moseley, 1868) (08/2025).
• Golden mussel (Limnoperna fortunei) (Dunker) (2.8.2022)
• Japanese common sea star (Asterias amurensis Lutken, 1871) (08/2025)
• Chinese mystery snail (Cipangopaludina chinensis (Gray 1834)) (08/2025).
• Giant ramshorn snail (Marisa cornuarietis (Linnaeus 1758)) (08/2025).
• Dwarf surf clam (Mulinia lateralis (Say, 1822)) (08/2025).