Animal Law Italia took part today in a crucial meeting at the European Parliament, entitled “Promoting Animal Welfare in the EU: Priorities 2024-2029”. Organised in collaboration with Eurogroup for Animals and other affiliated Italian organisations, the meeting was an opportunity to reaffirm our priorities within the 10 points of the “Animals Vote Too” Manifesto that we had prepared ahead of the European elections in June 2024, with the aim of giving full effect to the recognition of animals as “sentient beings” enshrined in Article 13 of the European Treaty. We now call on the 15 Members of the European Parliament who signed it to commit to improving legislation and making Europe a beacon of progress for the protection of animals.
The event was organised with the support of MEP Annalisa Corrado (S&D, Democratic Party), delegate for Ecological Transition, Climate, Green Economy and Agenda 2030 in the PD National Secretariat and member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) of the European Parliament. Also in attendance were MEP Valentina Palmisano (The Left – Movimento 5 Stelle), MEP Benedetta Scuderi (Greens – AVS), as well as representatives from the staff of MEPs Cristina Guarda (Greens) and Brando Benifei (S&D).
During the meeting, a series of fundamental requests were presented, aimed in particular at improving the welfare of farmed animals. We first reiterated the need to swiftly implement the request, signed by 1.4 million European citizens, for the gradual phasing out of the use of cages in farming. Another fundamental request is to complete the revision of regulations on the transport of live animals, with the aim of reducing suffering during long journeys.
At Animal Law Italia, we intervened to highlight the need to include, within the regulatory revision proposal that the European Commission will present during this legislative term, rules that take into account the ethological needs of individual species, including for the first time aquatic animals.
There were also references to companion animals (the subject of a European Commission proposal) and wild animals, the latter under threat from the downgrading of the wolf’s protected status.
Animal Law Italia’s participation in this meeting reflects our constant commitment to promoting fair laws for animals and to collaborating with other organisations to achieve common goals. We firmly believe that animal welfare must become a priority for European institutions, thereby meeting the expectations of millions of citizens calling for change.
In the coming weeks, we will continue the dialogue with our institutional counterparts to ensure that our 10 requests are included in the parliamentary debate and in the European Commission’s work programme.
We will continue to work to ensure that institutions adopt concrete and ambitious measures in favour of animals. Stay updated on our activities and upcoming initiatives by following our website and social media channels.