The European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) Fur Free Europe was closed early at midnight on March 1, 2023 - two and a half months before the official deadline of May 18. The reason: In less than ten months, a record number of more than 1.7 million signatures were collected for an end to the cruel practice of fur farming and trade - a strong message to the European Commission! The German alliance, consisting of the German Animal Welfare Federation, FOUR PAWS - Foundation for Animal Welfare, the German Animal Welfare Office, Pro Wildlife, Humane Society International/Europe, the German Animal Lobby, ANIMALS UNITED and Menschen für Tierrechte Baden-Württemberg, together generated the largest share of votes.
"The overwhelming success of the ECI Fur-Free Europe is a clear indication that the majority of people in the EU want a swift end to this anachronistic and cruel practice," says Jürgen Plinz, representative of the German Animal Welfare Federation on the board of the Eurogroup for Animals. The initiative got off to a flying start, with around 50,000 signatures collected on the very first day. In December 2022, the number of one million signatures was exceeded earlier than expected, and now, more than two months before the official end, 1,701,892 signatures have been reached - securing the target of one million validated votes. Support for the ECI came from across the EU: 21 Member States reached the required number of signatures! Only seven would have been needed. A large proportion of the signatures, namely 577,710, came from Germany.
The decision to close the ECI earlier was also made due to its potential impact on the upcoming revision of EU animal welfare legislation as part of the EU's "Farm to Fork" strategy. By the end of 2023, the European Commission will publish a proposal to improve EU animal welfare legislation to bring it in line with the latest scientific evidence. Science has clearly shown that it is not possible to keep animals on fur farms in accordance with animal welfare standards. Consequently, a ban on fur farming and the trade in fur products should be included in the proposal.
THE EUROPEAN CITIZENS' INITIATIVE (EBI) FUR FREE EUROPE (FUR FREE EUROPE)
An alliance of animal welfare organizations has launched the . The aim of the petition, which is supported by more than 80 European groups, is an EU-wide ban on the keeping and killing of fur animals for the purpose of fur production. In addition, fur and fur products from fur farming are to be banned on the European market. The organizers want to ensure that cruelty is not simply imported into the EU from third countries, but that the suffering of the fur industry in Europe is ended once and for all.
For the ECI to be successful, one million verified signatures of EU citizens are required, which must be collected in at least seven EU member states. The European Commission must then react with an official response. If it makes a legislative proposal, this is then submitted to the European Parliament and the Council of the EU. If it is adopted, it becomes law. So far, 14 of the 27 EU member states have banned fur farming (some with transitional periods). In Germany, strict regulations require fur farms to comply with higher animal welfare standards, which has meant that fur farming is no longer economically viable - however, fur farming is not yet banned by law here.
