A European Commissioner for Animal Welfare? 70% of Europeans want it.

Members of the European Parliament started the process of supporting the proposal by collecting signatures for an oral question.

In June 2021, IPSOS asked 3,500 European adults between the ages of 18 and 65 if they thought there should be a European Animal Welfare Commissioner. The study was carried out in the ten largest EU countries, covering 81% of the EU population: France, Germany, Poland, Spain, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Romania, Hungary and Sweden. In all these countries, 7 out of 10 citizens think there should be a European Commissioner for Animal Welfare.

At present, there is no European Commissioner for Animal Welfare and responsibility is assigned to the Commissioner for Health and Food Safety. However, some countries, such as Belgium, have appointed a minister explicitly in charge of this area.

This decision has triggered important effects: a clear responsibility within the government for all laws related to animal welfare, more transparency and the allocation of adequate human and financial resources to provide concrete answers on this important subject.

In March 2021, GAIA, member of the Eurogroup for Animals, based in Belgium, launched the #EUforAnimals campaign with the support of more than forty other animal rights and welfare organizations across Europe. , asking the European institutions to finally give animal welfare the attention it deserves, by explicitly integrating it into the remit and the job title of the European Commissioner concerning.

The #EUforAnimals campaign has already received the support of more than 130,000 citizens and 133 MEPs .

Twelve MEPs also started collecting signatures to file a multi-party oral question supporting the request. The process was initiated by MEP Niels Fuglsang (S&D, Denmark) and is co-promoted by Sylwia Spurek (Verts / ALE, Poland), Petras Auštrevičius (Renew, Lithuania), Manuel Bompard (GUE / NGL, France), Michal Wiezik (PPE, Slovak Republic), Emmanouíl Fragkos (ECR, Greece), Anja Hazekamp (GUE / NGL, Netherlands), Johan Van Overtveldt (ECR, Belgium), Emma Wiesner (Renew, Sweden), Sirpa Pietikäinen (PPE , Finland), Maria Noichl (S&D, Denmark) and Francisco Guerreiro (Verts / ALE, Portugal).

“Members of the European Parliament have often represented well the will of EU citizens to improve the way animals are treated in Europe,” said Niels Fuglsang, MEP, “This is my hope and hope other MEPs who co-promote this oral question, that many colleagues will join us and that the European Commission will respond positively to our proposal, to see as soon as possible the title of Ms Kyriakides become European Commissioner for "Health, food safety and animal welfare ”.

“The survey clearly shows that the campaign's demand is supported by a large majority of EU citizens. The European Commission should soon give a positive response to a proposal that can bring significant and lasting benefits to animal welfare, both at continental level and beyond. We hope that Commissioner Kyriakides will decide to support #EUforAnimals and become the first European Commissioner for Animal Welfare, ” added Ann De Greef , Director of GAIA.

The full survey results can be viewed here .
For more information about the initiative, visit Web