At a plenary debate in Strasbourg on Thursday 14 March, Members of the European Parliament were divided on the action taken during this mandate to improve animal welfare.
Niels Fuglsang (S&D, Danish), who initiated the debate, regretted the European Commission’s “broken promises” to “put an end to the suffering” of animals. He was supported by other Scandinavian MEPs, including Emma Wiesner (Renew Europe, Swedish), who blamed the EPP and ECR groups for the lack of ambitious proposals from the Commission.
MEPs from the Greens/EFA group and some from the S&D group also deplored the lack of ambition in the proposals presented. Michal Wiezik (Renew Europe, Slovakian) also called on the Commission to respond to citizens’ demands.
Herbert Dorfmann (EPP, Italian) insisted the need to ensure that EU countries comply with the current rules. For Clara Aguilera (S&D, Spanish), there is no need to revise the legislation, but rather to guarantee compliance with the rules.
On behalf of the Commission, the Commissioner for Cohesion, Elisa Ferreira, stressed that the Commission must “ continue to work” to bring about “positive changes” for animal welfare. She stressed the need for transitional periods and funding to help farmers adapt to the new rules. The Commission is still studying the follow-up to the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) calling for an end to cages (see EUROPE 13325/26) and has proposed two legislative texts on animal transport and the protection of pets (see EUROPE 13309/7). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)