The practice of pre-stunning is mandatory throughout the EU.

Although the EU Animal Slaughter Regulation allows for a 'religious exception', it also expressly enables member states to adopt "national rules aimed at ensuring more extensive protection of animals at the time of killing".

That's how Denmark, Sweden and Slovenia were able to ban slaughter without stunning.

However, today a compromise between a religious exception, allowing slaughter without stunning, and an outright ban of the practice is close to reach.