Of the candidates who took the animal welfare pledges in our VoteforAnimals2019 campaign – their public commitment to animal welfare for the next EU parliamentary term – around one in ten have been elected. In the next few days we will make available a full list of the signatories whose candidacy was successful.

We’d like to thank each and every one of the 1004 candidates who, since the campaign’s launch in February, showed their support for a higher commitment to animal welfare during  the new political term. With the help of our Member Organisations, who encouraged their candidates in their own countries to take part, the campaign achieved five times more pledges than in the last European election. With clear results like these, the  Commission has no excuse not to embrace animal welfare as a priority in its 2019-2023 work programme.

“Recent years have seen strong support for animal welfare from both the European Parliament and public opinion, although meaningful European actions to better protect animals have not been forthcoming,” says Reineke Hameleers, Director at Eurogroup for Animals. “We call on this new European Parliament to live up to their commitment to citizens and animals and urge the new Commission to prioritise animal welfare and break the legislative stalemate we have been facing.”

We – and Europe’s animals – have waited too long for the replacement of the transport of live animals with the trade of meat and carcasses, a phase-out of the use of all cages for farmed animals, a revision of the Broiler Directive, positive changes to the Common Agricultural Policy, and stunning prior to slaughter.

For wildlife, an EU-wide positive list of exotic pets determining which animals can be traded and kept is urgently needed. So are total bans on the use of wild animals in circuses and on and fur farming, and the development and implementation of effective non-lethal solutions for the coexistence with large carnivores and the management of invasive alien species.

Pets badly need identification and traceability systems, not only to ensure good welfare and health but also to tackle booming illegal trade all over Europe. The 12 million laboratory animals used each year in Europe desperately need a concrete EU strategy to phase out their use in research, testing and education. Equines need proper care whatever their role, whether they are used for recreation, in sports, on farm, for therapy or for tourism.

To make change happen, MEPs can join the EP Intergroup on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals. The second oldest of the EP’s 28 Intergroups, it is a cross-party forum and effective driver in promoting initiatives that have frequently led to concrete improvements in EU animal welfare-related policy making. About 70 of the newly elected MEPs have already committed to joining, of which around 50 were already members during the previous political term. This means that this new Parliament – the ninth – already kicks off with a strong and united group of animal welfare-friendly MEPs gearing up to make a difference for animals.

LIST OF ELECTED NEW MEPs WHO SIGNED THE PLEDGE #VOTE4ANIMALS (click here to find out all specific topics each MEPs has pledged for):

Kogler Werner, Austria

Schieder Andreas, Austria

Vollath  Bettina, Austria

Gamon Claudia, Austria

MEP Harald Vilimsky, Austria

MEP Regner Evelyn, Austria

Bricmont Saskia, Belgium

MEP Kathleen Van Brempt, Belgium

MEP Frédérique Ries, Belgium

Chastel Olivier, Belgium

Lutgen Benoît, Belgium

De Sutter Petra, Belgium

MEP Biljana Borzan, Croatia

MEP Tonino Picula, Croatia

Tomašić Ruža, Croatia

MEP Michaela Šojdrová, Czech Republic

MEP Jiří Pospíšil, Czech Republic

MEP Stanislav POLČÁK, Czech Republic

Gregorová Markéta, Czech Republic

MEP Luděk Niedermayer, Czech Republic

Zdechovský Tomáš, Czech Republic

MEP Jeppe Kofod, Denmark

MEP Magrete Auken, Denmark

Nikolaj Villumsen, Denmark

Niels Fuglsang, Denmark

Karen Melchior, Denmark

Kira Marie Peter-Hansen, Denmark

Schaldemose Christel, Denmark

MEP Urmas Paet, Estonia

Kaljurand Marina, Estonia

MEP Sirpa Pietikainen, Finland

MEP Sarvamaa Petri, Finland

MEP Heidi Hautala, Finland

MEP Henna Virkkunen, Finland

Niinistö Ville, Finland

Modig Silvia, Finland

MEP Karima Delli, France

MEP Pascal Durand, France

MEP Younous Omarjee, France

Cormand David, France

MEP Dominique Bilde, France

Toussaint Marie, France

Roose Caroline, France

Yenbou Salima, France

Alfonsi  François, France

Pelletier Anne Sophie, France

Aubry Manon, France

Chaibi Leïla, France

Jadot Yannick, France

Careme Damien, France

MEP Ska Keller, Germany

MEP Sven Giegold, Germany

Terry Reintke, Germany

Anna Cavazzini, Germany

MEP Tiemo Wölken, Germany

MEP Petra Kammerevert, Germany

Gabriele Bischoff, Germany

MEP Klaus Buchner, Germany

Katrin Langensiepen, Germany

Jutta Paulus, Germany

MEP Maria Noichl, Germany

Buschmann Martin, Germany

MEP Cornelia Ernst, Germany

Andresen Rasmus, Germany

Breyer Patrick, Germany

MEP Martina Michels, Germany

MEP Stelios Kouloglou, Greece

MEP Dimitrios Papadimoulis, Greece

Georgoulis Alexis, Greece

Kokkalis Petros, Greece

Fitzgerald Frances, Ireland

Cuffe Ciarán, Ireland

MEP Castaldo Fabio Massimo, Italy

MEP Marco Zullo, Italy

MEP Piernicola Pedicini, Italy

MEP Eleonora Evi, Italy

Pisapia  Giuliano, Italy

MEP Ignazio Corrao, Italy

MEP Tiziana Beghin, Italy

MEP Laura Ferrara, Italy

MEP Rosa D’Amato, Italy

MEP Giuseppe Ferrandino, Italy

MEP Petras Auštrevičius, Lithuania

MEP Tilly Metz, Luxembourg

MEP Roberta Metsola, Malta

MEP David Casa , Malta

MEP Miriam Dalli, Malta

MEP Anja Hazekamp, Netherlands

MEP Bas Eickhout, Netherlands

Halicki Andrzej, Poland

Spurek  Sylwia, Poland

Miller Leszek, Poland

Biedroń Robert, Poland

MEP Marisa Matias, Portugal

Guerreiro Francisco, Portugal

Gusmão Jose’, Portugal

Vlad Botoş, Romania

Gheorghe Vlad, Romania

Hojsík Martin, Slovakia

MEP Ivan Štefanec, Slovakia

Wiezik   Michal, Slovakia

MEP Romana Tomc, Slovenia

MEP Ernest Urtasun, Spain

MEP Miguel Urbán Crespo, Spain

MEP Frederick Federley, Sweden

Bah Kuhnke Alice, Sweden

MEP Malin Björk, Sweden

MEP Jytte Guteland, Sweden

Holmgren Pär, Sweden

MEP Kirton-Darling Jude, United Kingdom

MEP Molly Scott Cato, United Kingdom

Ainslie Scott, United Kingdom

MEP Julie Ward, United Kingdom

 

Contact:
Vienna Leigh, Senior Communications Officer
v.leigh@eurogroupforanimals.org |  +32 (0)2 207 7715