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Animal welfare still unresolved in EU Constitution debate
For over a year, a coalition of European animal rights and welfare organisations have been campaigning for the new constitution to give the EU the power to directly control animal welfare. Currently, all EU animal welfare legislation uses the powers in the constitution to control other issues, such as trade and agriculture, which can be affected by animal welfare. However, some observers are concerned that direct EU powers to regulate animal welfare are likely to result in less flexible controls and greater bureaucracy.
Last year, the campaign coalition had persuaded four EU politicians to make formal proposals to include animal welfare measures in the new constitution. This included a proposal by the EU President, Silvio Berlusconi. However, at the December meeting of EU heads of state, unsurprisingly all the discussion was about more fundamental European constitutional issues and there was no discussion of the animal welfare proposals.
Ireland took over the presidency of the EU in January 2004 and is faced with the task of resolving the fundamental disagreements by May 2004. The document for discussion in May includes a new annex on the protection of welfare of animals which reads as follows:
"In formulating and implementing the Union's agriculture, fisheries, transport, internal market, research and technological developments and space policies, the Union and the Member States shall pay full regard to the welfare requirements of animals, as sentient beings, while respecting the legislative or administrative provisions and customs of Member States relating in particular to religious rites, cultural traditions and regional heritage."
This is exactly the same wording as the protocol on animal welfare in the Treaty of Rome, which functions as the EU Constitution.
As the EBRA Bulletin went to press it was unclear whether or not this new text would be adopted.