This is how we are committed Animal welfare in Europe

Animals need our help not only in Germany. In addition to our Animal Welfare Center Odessa and the model project in Romania we are therefore also politically active at European Union level for more animal welfare in Europe.

Many animal welfare problems go beyond national borders - in the truest sense of the word. For example, when animals are transported through or out of the European Union (EU), it makes sense to have EU-wide guidelines. This makes it possible to sustainably improve the transportation conditions of numerous animals at once, regardless of the member state.

In order to give animals a strong voice across borders, we are campaigning for stricter animal welfare laws throughout the EU. To this end, we seek dialogue with members of the European Parliament and employees of the European Commission and network with other animal welfare organizations at international level. To ensure that we are even closer to the pulse of EU policy, we opened an office in Brussels at the end of 2022 and work closely with our European umbrella organization Eurogroup for Animals.

How the European Union works

How is the EU structured politically?

The European Union (EU) is an association of states with 27 member states and thus regulates the lives of almost 450 million Europeans. It consists of seven institutions: the Council of the European Union, the European Parliament, the European Commission, the European Council, the European Court of Justice, the European Court of Auditors and the European Central Bank.

The most important institutions for us are the Parliament, the Commission and the Council of the European Union.

Who sits on the EU institutions?

The European Parliament (EP): Members of the EP are elected every five years; the last election took place in May 2024 and 720 MEPs were elected from all over Europe. There are 96 politicians representing Germany in the EP, spread across six political groups; nine German MEPs are independent.
The European Commission: As the guardian of the treaties, it represents the executive and is therefore the most important body of the EU. It consists of 27 general commissions and is therefore comparable to the federal ministries. The most important ones for us are the General Commission for Health and Food Safety and the General Commission for Agriculture and Rural Development.
The Council of the European Union, also known as the Council of Ministers: The Council of the EU is where the ministers of the member states meet, depending on the topic. The Agriculture and Fisheries Council (AGRIFISH) is particularly important for us - the Federal Government is represented by the Federal Minister for Agriculture, Food and Home Affairs. The Council meets once a month in Luxembourg.

How is a new law passed?

The European Commission submits a draft law.
The draft is then processed by both the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament. Both institutions make amendments and in effect draw up new documents. As a result, there are three versions of the legislative text, which the three institutions finally negotiate among themselves in the so-called trilogue. In parallel, organizations can publish statements that may influence the results.
If the three institutions agree on a final text in the trilogue, both the EP and the Council of Ministers adopt itformally adopt it once again.
The laws then come into force and must be applied in all member states or implemented in national laws.

Together for animals in Europe What the Eurogroup for Animals does

Eurogroup for Animals, based in Brussels, was founded in 1980 and is the European animal welfare umbrella organization. It campaigns for better protection of animals in the EU and pursues the vision of a Europe that values and respects animals as sentient beings. It consists of over 100 member organizations from different countries.

The Eurogroup for Animals works in various ways to improve animal welfare legislation in the EU. Its fields of activity include providing expert advice and raising awareness of animal welfare policy in various EU institutions, such as the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament. The umbrella organization also develops campaigns to educate the public and improve the situation of pets, farm animals, laboratory animals and wild animals.

Animal welfare organizations abroad

Are you looking for animal welfare organizations outside Germany? In many European countries, such as Greece, Italy, Romania, Turkey, etc., we support animal welfare organizations that are active locally. Find our member and partner associations abroad.

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This is what we do Our contribution to the Eurogroup for Animals

The German Animal Welfare Federation is a founding member of the Eurogroup for Animals. Together with the leading animal welfare associations in neighboring European countries, we joined forces to form this European umbrella organization back in 1980. We work closely with other animal welfare organizations and are actively involved in numerous topic-specific working groups. Within this framework, we also contribute our specialist knowledge and experience in order to define the content of the common demands and positions. In addition, we also provide financial support to promote important animal welfare issues at EU level. We also prepare communicative content for our German target group. In this way, we spread the word and raise awareness of the important role that EU legislation plays for animals throughout Europe.

Previous projects and successes

European citizens' initiatives

European citizens' initiatives (ECIs) such as "Fur Free Europe" show just how much the educational work of the Eurogroup for Animals can achieve¹. A total of 1.5 million citizens from all over the EU have signed this initiative, sending a strong signal for a fur-free Europe. 1.4 million Europeans also signed the ECI "End the Cage Age"² and the ECI "Save Cruelty Free Cosmetics"³ was supported with 1.2 million signatures. While the former aims to end the cruel caging of chickens, sows and rabbits for fattening, the signatories of the second ECI are calling for a Europe without animal testing. If an ECI reaches the required million signatures and the respective thresholds in at least seven EU Member States, as in these examples, the Commission is obliged to address the issue.

Text “I will vote for animals” is written on a pink tile with a cross as a symbol for EU elections

Campaign for the European elections

In order to also hold candidates for the European Parliament to account ahead of the European elections in June 2024, Eurogroup for Animals published the following as part of its "Vote for Animals 2024" campaign ⁴ published ten key demands with our support. Together, we called on the candidates to sign concrete election pledges and thus commit to standing up for animals in Europe. The core demands included a ban on cruel husbandry practices such as cage farming and animal transport, better protection for pets, an EU Commissioner for Animal Welfare and more sustainable, animal-friendly food production. Other key demands included specific protective measures for fish and other species kept in aquacultures as well as for marine fisheries.

Further actions

On October 23, 2023, for example, a demonstration took place in front of the European Commission's headquarters in Brussels, in which members of the Eurogroup for Animals, we as the German Animal Welfare Federation and members of the European Parliament took part. There, together we publicly called on Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to publish the promised complete proposals for revised animal welfare legislation.

Latest news This is what is happening in the EU and the Eurogroup right now

New draft law on animal transportation

An amendment to EU animal welfare legislation was announced during the last legislative period. However, of the four legislative proposals announced, only one bill on animal transportation was presented. The legislative proposals on slaughter, meat labeling and the keeping of farmed animals, which were also announced in the climate package, were unfortunately not presented by the European Commission. However, since the 2024 elections and thus the new Commission, the focus seems to have changed. The new Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare, Olivér Várhelyi from Hungary, has so far only commented on a legislative proposal on the keeping of farmed animals. A first draft is to be presented at the end of 2026.

Dog and cat lie snuggled up close together on the floor

Draft law on dogs and cats

There is positive news regarding a draft law on dogs and cats, the so-called "Cats and Dogs Proposal": in June of this year, a broad majority in the EU Parliament voted in favor of stricter requirements for the protection of these animals within the EU. This means that in future, abuses in dog and cat breeding and the illegal trade in pets will be combated in a more targeted manner. The Eurogroup for Animals and we as the German Animal Welfare Federation have been closely involved in the legislative process from the very beginning and see this vote as a huge success. The measures include long-standing demands from us - for example, mandatory identification and registration of all dogs and cats, requirements for keeping, health and breeding as well as regulation of the online trade in dogs and cats. If the law is passed, it will provide the first EU-wide legal framework to effectively curb the illegal pet trade and better protect animals in the future.

Expert opinions on horses and donkeys

A group of experts from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has been commissioned by the EU Commission to produce a scientific opinion on the welfare of horses and one on donkeys and their crossbreeds by 2027. The opinion will in turn play an important role when the animal welfare regulations are revised. The Eurogroup for Animals is making a valuable contribution to this by producing a report on the protection of these animals. It submitted this to EFSA in September 2024, and we at the German Animal Welfare Federation also provided scientific content.

Together with the Eurogroup for Animals, we are putting pressure on parliamentarians and calling on them to work together with the EU Commissioners to ambitiously advance animal welfare issues.

Last chance for the animals

The European Parliament is currently revising the regulations for animal transportation. Unfortunately, many people are campaigning against improvements for animals. That's why we need your help: send an email to the German MEPs now so that they stand up for the animals!

Under the link you will find the tool of our European umbrella organization Eurogroup for Animals. There you can simply select your country and the desired MEPs or parties, fill out the form and send the required e-mail. Thank you on behalf of the animals!

Send mail

Further information

¹ Information on the Fur Free campaign: Fur Free Europe | Eurogroup for Animals

² Information on the citizens' initiative "End the Cage Age": End the Cage Age

³ Information on the citizens' initiative "Save Cruelty Free Cosmetics": Save Cruelty Free Cosmetics - Commit to a Europe Without Animal Testing

⁴ Information on the European election campaign: Vote for Animals | Eurogroup for Animals