Party for the Animals: Climate Champion in Brussels

The Dutch Party for the Animals has been declared the most climate friendly Dutch party in the European Parliament by the Climate Action Network Europe (CAN). Over the past five years, the Party for the Animals gained the highest number of votes on plans concerning climate protection, making it the Dutch climate champion in Brussels according to CAN.

CAN consists of some 150 organisations, including Greenpeace, the World Wildlife Fund, and Seas at Risk. The organisations classified parties as ‘climate defenders’ (highest score), ‘climate delayers’, and ‘climate dinosaurs’ (lowest score). The review looked at voting behaviour on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, objectives for sustainable energy and energy savings.

“Climate change is the greatest threat to the future of our planet. The Party for the Animals again wants to make the maximum effort to remove that threat over the next five years,” according to Anja Hazekamp, MEP and leading candidate for the Dutch Party for the Animals for the upcoming European elections on 23 May.

This week, the Party for the Animals presented its election programme Plan B for Europe, which includes plans for the prohibition of mega farms, the abolition of European subsidies of millions for the livestock industry, and encourages a more plant-based diet. “Animal-friendly proposals having a favourable effect on the climate as well as saving taxpayers billions of euros,” according to Hazekamp.

Animal Politics EU

The Dutch Party for the Animals has been working behind the scenes together with sister parties all over the world. Eleven of those parties for animal rights and an equitable, sustainable society are collaborating this year for the elections of the European Parliament. They do so under the name “Animal Politics EU” and they have launched a collective manifesto. In addition to the Party for the Animals (the Netherlands), the movement includes PACMA (Spain) Djurens Parti (Sweden), Partito Animalista Italiano (Italy), Parti Animaliste (France), DierAnimal (Belgium), Animal Party Cyprus (Cyprus), Partei Mensch Umwelt Tierschutz (Germany), EOP (Finland), Animal Welfare Party (United Kingdom) and PAN (Portugal).

The movement expects another big election win in the upcoming European Parliament elections in May.