The Party for the Animals nominates Anja Hazekamp as European leading candidate
The Dutch Party for the Animals nominates its current MEP Anja Hazekamp as leading candidate for the European elections. Her candidacy will be presented to the members at the party congress on 31 March. The Party for the Animals wants to sound a green and progressive critical voice in the European Parliament in the next few years too.
Party for the Animals MEP Anja Hazekamp
Anja Hazekamp (1968), biologist and animal protector, was in 2014 elected as first representative of the Party for the Animals in the European Parliament. She placed many nature and animal welfare subjects on the agenda in the European Parliament over the past five years and is also engaged in extra parliamentary actions to ask for more attention for better protection of animals and our living environment.
Anja Hazekamp is keen to continue her efforts as an MEP for another five years for humans, animals, nature and the environment. “I am full of energy and have great confidence that the animal movement will make great breakthroughs in Europe over the next five years. We have influenced the European Parliament's viewpoints in many areas already. We now have to ensure that the EU leaders and national governments will actually put our animal-friendly proposals into practice. With a total of ten parties for the animals participating in the European elections, the call for climate and animal friendly measures is just getting louder.”
The Party for the Animals has already demonstrated in the Dutch Lower House that it has a disproportional influence on debates with its five seats, and that it is able to encourage changes as a result. That is the way it goes in Europe too: The Party for the Animals also addresses issues there that no one else addresses. In its role as driver, the Party is able to successfully stimulate, inspire and encourage others to do more for animals, nature and the environment.
Green and progressive critical voice
The Party for the Animals’ criticism towards the European Union, in its current form, is green and progressive. A new phenomenon, averse to nationalism or short-term human self-interest, yet rooted in the planet-wide interests of sustainability and empathy. A green ‘hare in the marathon’ will also make the European Union move.
Green and progressive ideas can be well combined with a critical attitude towards Brussels and Strasbourg. And that is badly needed. Because the European Union seems to make every effort to win the sympathy of voters by taking popular measures, such as cheap telephoning and mobile internet and European student grants. But at the same time, the EU fails to come into action against the threat to our future: Climate change. We have the moral obligation to stop the climate crisis and to sustain the planet for the next generations. For humans and animals. Brussels is acting upon that obligation inadequately.
In the current EU there is plenty of room for mega-stables, plant and animal species are becoming extinct, overfishing continuous unabated, and ecosystems are disrupted. The agricultural and fishery subsidies have represented the highest costs of the EU for years. The intensive poultry industry used those subsidies for conducting its promotion campaigns, and bullfighting is maintained with it.
A new course for Europe
A radical change of course is required. A new course for Europe, with other forms of European cooperation. Cooperation that is focussed on realising ideals: sustainability, compassion, freedom and responsibility. The Party for the Animals wants a Europe that gives both humans and animals the chance of living a good and full life. This is only possible if we stop considering economic growth as a holy grail, and we start working on decreasing our ecological footprint instead.