Dear friends, dear interested,
The European Parliament has finally set up an inquiry committee on animal transports. The special committee, limited to one year, will investigate how EU animal welfare rules for animal transports within the EU and to non-EU countries are systematically broken and propose changes to improve enforcement as well as new rules. This committee can finally push through improvements!
The suffering of over 300 million animals in transport every year is unacceptable and is a concern for many citizens. Legislation must be tightened up and existing laws on animal welfare, for example on transport times, must finally be enforced. The EU Commission must consistently open infringement proceedings against all countries that fail to protect animals. More than 180,000 people have signed our petition (www.change.org/tiertransporte) and written to their MEPs and governments. But a coalition of conservatives, liberals and social democrats has long blocked this. Together with the left MEPs, we Greens had even filed a lawsuit (unsuccessfully) before the European Court of Justice. But last June, pressure from all sides became too great and the blockade collapsed.
Today’s appointment is therefore a great success and a glimmer of hope for the animals. The persistance of civil society, NGOs, leftists and Greens has paid off.
Today, my Green colleague Tilly Metz from Luxembourg was elected as Chair of the Committee. She is a committed animal welfare activist and ecologist and will do everything she can to make the committee a success! This committee has what it takes to finally end the suffering of animals in transport. Similar committees in our Parliament, for example on taxes or pesticides, have had a great influence on legislation and law enforcement in Europe. We Greens will work to ensure that this inquiry committee also finally does something about the unbearable conditions of animal transport.
With European green greetings
Sven Giegold
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Background
Our newsletter on the appointment of the Committee (19.06.2020): https://sven-giegold.de/en/animal-transports-inquiry-committee/
Communication from the European Parliament setting up the Committee (19.06.2020): https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20200619IPR81604/protection-of-transported-animals-parliament-establishes-inquiry-committee
Joint petition with MEP Martin Häusling on animal transports (in German): https://www.change.org/tiertransporte
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