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Watch: ‘I’m Angry At The Commission’ – Cyrus Engerer Urges For EU Laws On Animal Welfare

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Labour MEP Cyrus Engerer held a charged speech addressing Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and calling for the implementation of animal welfare legislation, as the Fur Free Europe Citizen’s Initiative called for.

“Citizens are telling us that, as consumers, they do not want 37 million animals per year to be born and raised in cages so that they are killed in order to get their fur,” he said in the EU Parliament.

Engerer called out von der Leyen for “ignoring” the successful citizens initiative wherein 1.5 million are urging for the EU to legislate on animal welfare.

“What a strong tool we have given EU citizens to directly participate in European Democracy, and yet the commission simply ignores.”

Out of the ten citizens’ initiatives, this is the fourth calling for such a legislative development.

“Animals are electrocuted to be stripped of their fur. This is unethical, unsustainable, unsafe and simply despicable. It disrespects the wild animals’ behavioural needs.”

“It risks both animal and human health and also harms our biodiversity. We want a fur-free Europe now. We need to ban this unethical behaviour by humans on animals as soon as possible in Europe.

“Citizens are asking us to do this in this mandate, not later on.”

At its core, the initiative stands as a resounding call for a fur-free continent, pushing for a total ban on fur farming and on the sale of fur products within European markets.

Engerer shared this video on his social media, further captioning it with the two reasons that he’s angry at the commission. 

“Firstly, Europe can’t afford to lose more credibility. If we have given European Citizens the right of initiative, when 1.5 million manage to reach the criteria, they must be listened to. The EPP-led commission and parliament must stop undermining the European project and act without a mandate like they did in Israel, only to ignore mandates when they are given one.”

“Secondly, why does the commission shy away from introducing laws on animal welfare? We’ve heard the EPP voices on this topic in parliament. Wasn’t surprised, they do the same for human rights!”

This action was co-financed by the European Union in the frame of the European Parliament’s grant programme in the field of communication. The European Parliament was not involved in its preparation and is, in no case, responsible for or bound by the information or opinions expressed in the context of this action. In accordance with applicable law, the authors, interviewed people, publishers or programme broadcasters are solely responsible. The European Parliament can also not be held liable for direct or indirect damage that may result from the implementation of the action.

Do you think that the commission needs to take these calls for animal welfare legislation more seriously?

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Ana is a university graduate who loves a heated debate, she’s very passionate about humanitarian issues and justice. In her free time you’ll probably catch her binge watching way too many TV shows or thinking about her next meal.

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