Animal Protection European Framework Law

Dear President Barroso, Vice-president Wallstrom,

This letter is written on red paper to represent the blood shed by the many animals massacred daily throughout the EU Member States and candidate countries.

The classic reply sent out by your services to the various complaints and queries you receive on this subject is that there is no European wide legislation in the field of animal welfare, that you have no basis on which to legislate and that the countries concerned should find their own solutions to the problem.

WRONG ! Laws do exist in the host country of the European institutions, i.e. Belgium. The non respect of such laws incurs penalties. The latest law voted in relation to the protection of animals dates from 14th August 1986 and was modified by the laws of 26 March 1993 and 4th May 1995. To make a Europe wide legislation based on this is therefore not such a great challenge. There is therefore a legal basis on which to establish and adopt a legal framework which should be applied throughout the European Union and its candidate countries, the non respect of which would lead to the imposition of penalties.

The preamble of the proposed European Constitution states that The Union plans to advance towards progress and civilisation! Respect for animal life is a hindrance neither to progress nor economic and social development. A Union which wishes to be coherent and to advance on the road of civilisation is under every obligation to deal with the issue of animal welfare and to ensure that it is dealt with properly by all its Member States. An ever progressing Union must respect life in all its forms and do everything in its power to put a stop to the massacres currently being perpetrated on animals.

It should also take the initiative to use its legal competence to vote in a European directive on the subject or at least a framework law on animal protection. The images of cruelty with which we are constantly confronted are shocking and only serve to damage the image of the countries concerned.

I am convinced that you will take the necessary measures rapidly and thank you in advance for your attention to this matter which has recently been shown to be of great concern to a large majority of Europeans.
FRAMEWORK LAW

Severely punish those who publicly abandon an animal;

Animals should be identified upon purchase by their owner with an electronic chip as the law foresees across Europe as of 2007;

Severely punish all mistreatment of animals in accordance with a future law to be applied throughout the European Union;

Establish a policy of birth control, i.e. draw up a budget with the aim of:
Organising and funding a Europe-wide trap, neuter , release and vaccination programme for Europes millions of stray animals;
Constructing shelters which conform to the norms in place within the EU;
Subsidising these shelters to ensure that the animals are comfortably housed, fed and treated in time;
Financing the post of a shelter director for each shelter and ensure that his role is carried out to a minimum Europe wide standard.