European Parties Reshape the Political System by Advocating for Animal Representation
Political parties dedicated to animal rights from six European Member States have joined forces to participate in the upcoming elections for the European Parliament in June. The participating animal rights parties from Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, France, Cyprus and Spain united themselves under the name ‘Animal Politics EU: a European Movement Representing Animals’. The parties jointly launched their visionary campaign “Animals can’t vote, but you can!”: a clear call for re-thinking the political system of representation within the European Union. Recent polls have shown that Animal Politics EU is expected to gain two to four seats in the upcoming EU elections.
The ideology of the participating parties differs fundamentally from those of other European parties. Where conventional parties are mainly reaction-based and focused on short-term technical solutions, these parties question the moral implications of the political system in its entirety. “This movement is more than a campaign; it’s a core part of the world-changing shift to transform our society into a kinder, more ethical place for all living beings; starting in Europe”, the collective stated on its website.
Anja Hazekamp, MEP for the Dutch Party for the Animals:
“Corporate lobbyists are putting lots of effort and money into sabotaging EU measures for the protection of nature, animals and our climate. Previously announced measures, such as the EU ban on caging farmed animals, have been postponed. The Pesticide Reduction Law was taken off the table, and the Nature Restoration Law is still awaiting final approval. A strong voice representing the interests of animals and our planet is more important now than ever before, in order to safeguard a liveable future for all beings, whether human or animal.”
Manifesto
The Animal Politics EU parties have launched their manifesto, which will translate their critical approach to the system into pragmatic plans for the EU. Noteworthy objectives of the manifesto are the redirection of EU subsidies from animal agriculture to sustainable plant-based farming, and the appointment of an EU Commissioner for Animal Welfare. The manifesto also supports citizens' initiatives backed by millions of supporters, such as banning cages, fur and animal testing.
Farmers protests
We are reaching a political tipping point, with farmers' protests pressuring the EU to change its policies towards less environmentally friendly and looser regulations that give more power to the destructive companies in the agro-industry. These developments call for a strong countermovement, holding the malleable policymakers accountable and representing the interests of the animals and nature – which suffer most from all from this power contest between the big agro-companies.
Participating parties
The Animal Politics EU collective consists of six political parties, all of which are participating in the European Elections of June 2024:
- Parti Animaliste France (leading candidate Hélène Thouy)
- Partido Animalista Con el Medio Ambiente (PACMA) Spain (leading candidate Cristina García)
- Partido Pessoas-Animais-Natureza (PAN) Portugal (leading candidate Pedro Fidalgo Marques)
- Partij voor de Dieren Netherlands (leading candidate Anja Hazekamp)
- Partei Mensch Umwelt Tierschutz (Tierschutzpartei) Germany (leading candidate Sebastian Everding)
- Kόμμα για τα Ζώα Κύπρου (Animal Party Cyprus) (leading candidate Kyriakos Kyriakou)