Brussels, 4 October 2023 – Today, on World Animal Day, Executive Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič wrote to Members of the European Parliament indicating the European Commission will not deliver fully on its animal welfare legislative reforms.

The von der Leyen Commission’s intent is now to only go ahead with just one of the four-promised legislative proposals on animal welfare, which will be on live animal transport, in the remainder of this legislative term which ends next year.

Previously Executive Vice-President Šefčovič had stated that “Animal welfare is and will remain a priority for the Commission”, while European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, had said “If it matters to Europeans, it matters to Europe”, however this U-turn will mean that this Commission is set to break its promise to deliver proposals to ‘End the Cage Age’, in line with the demands of 1.4 million European citizens, by the end of 2023.

The Commission has committed that it will “continue working” on the remaining proposals covering animals kept for commercial purposes, animal welfare labeling and slaughter comes with great disappointment for civil society and millions of citizens.

FOUR PAWS, the global animal welfare organisation, is extremely disappointed in the delay of the animal welfare reforms.

Moran continued: “However, any failure from the von der Leyen Commission to present proposed measures to phase out caged farming systems, in-line with the successful End the Cage Age citizens’ initiative, raises serious questions over the ECI as a democratic tool."

“The whole EU animal welfare legislation desperately needs reform and furthering delays will mean further suffering for millions of animals inside the EU. That such clarity on their current thinking comes on World Animal Day only adds insult to injury. This is not good enough.”

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