EU Links.




Serbia and other Balkans states are currently NOT members of the EU.

If and when they do join, they will be required to comply with EU Regulations and Directives associated with all issues of animal welfare; from conditions on farms through to conditions in laboratories and regulations for animals in transport.


How the EU Parliament is Organised

The European Parliament is the only supranational institution whose members are democratically elected by direct universal suffrage. It represents the people of the Member States. The European Parliament, which is elected every five years, is involved in drafting numerous laws (directives, regulations etc.) that affect the daily life of every citizen.

Finding any MEP in Europe – a ‘Euromap’:


Finding any MEP by the alphabetical name list can be done via the following link:


To find MEPs by individual Member States and their associated political group (7th parliamentary term), use the following link:


The Role of a MEP

The Members of the European Parliament (MEP) are elected every five years under the proportional representation system. The election is held by direct universal suffrage.

Voting systems vary, depending on the relevant member state country. MEPs exercise their mandate independently and cannot be bound by instructions or receive a binding mandate.

For the period 2009-2014, the European Parliament has 736 MEPs, with a different number from each of the 27 Member States.

The number of MEPs representing each Member State (country) varies depending on the number of inhabitants; each country has a fixed number of seats, ranging from 99 for Germany to 5 for Malta.

MEP’s do not sit in national delegations but are grouped in transnational political groups according to their political affinities.

A parliamentary committee is responsible for ensuring that any information that may affect the performance of the duties of a Member of the European Parliament or the ranking of substitutes is forwarded to Parliament without delay by the authorities of the Member States or of the Union, with an indication of the date of effect where an appointment is concerned.


Animal WelfareEurogroup for Animals


Eurogroup for Animals is the leading voice for animal welfare at European Union level providing a voice for the billions of animals kept in laboratories, farms and homes or living in the wild.



Companion Animals

Companion 1 RSPCA

(Photo: RSPCA)

It is estimated that there are around 60 million owned dogs and 64 million owned cats in the European Union, but there is currently very little EU legislation to protect their welfare.

National legislation can vary greatly, with some countries having strict legislation to protect dogs and cats and others having very little at all.

This means that whilst many dogs and cats in the EU are loved and cared for as members of the family, the way in which they are treated can vary greatly across Europe.

Dogs and Cats in the EU

A wide range of serious welfare issues can affect dogs and cats in the European Union and some of these can affect them for large parts of, or all of their lives. The Eurogroup are particularly concerned about issues such as irresponsible breeding, trade and movements across borders.







One Response

    read. Thanks for sharing!

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