Resolution on the establishment of an EU legal framework for the protection of pets and stray animals

The European Parliament adopted a resolution tabled by the Committee on Petitions calling for the establishment of an EU legal framework for the protection of pets and stray animals. It notes the fact that the EU’s pet population is estimated at over one hundred million and that pets and stray animals are victims of mistreatment and cruelty in many Members States, with petitioners mainly referring to Member States in southern and eastern Europe.

Parliament calls on the European Union and Member States to ratify the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals and to transpose its provisions into national legal systems. It calls on the Commission to put forward an EU legal framework for the protection of pets and stray animals, including:

• rules for the identification and registration of animals, stray animal management strategies, including vaccination and sterilisation programmes,
• measures to promote responsible ownership,
• the prohibition of unlicensed kennels and shelters,
• the prohibition of the killing of stray animals without medical indication,
• information and educational programmes in schools on animal welfare,
• severe sanctions to be imposed on any Member State which fails to comply with the rules.