Document type: Answer from the European Commission to Question P-003765/2025
Authors: : Question: Anja Hazekamp (The Left). Answer: Mr. Várhelyi on behalf of the European Commission
Preview. Question: During his Parliament hearing in November 2024, Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi said that ‘we should not wait for the [animal transport] proposal to be adopted to improve the situation on the ground’ and that ‘we cannot just wait until the authorities agree or do not agree and leave animals stranded for weeks’, stating that ‘this is unacceptable’. The Commissioner also stated that ‘it is equally important to enforce the current rules, because the pictures we have seen just this week, about animals stranded at borders, cannot wait until new legislation is in place’ and ‘these are things that are happening far too frequently’. Since this hearing, animals have continued to be stranded at borders, confined in trucks under stressful and poor conditions. In light of the above:
1. What has the Commission achieved so far to "improve the situation on the ground," particularly regarding animals stranded at borders?
2. Does the Commission agree that guaranteeing animal welfare during live transport is difficult, in particular if animals are moved beyond EU borders, and that, therefore, the only effective way to protect animal health and welfare is to ban live exports?
3. What is the Commission’s view on promoting the trade of meat, carcasses and genetic material instead of live animals?
Answer in English (original): The Commission proposal currently discussed with the co-legislators provides for several innovative tools to improve the current situation. However, the actions of the Member State authorities can reduce the rate of undesirable incidents described by the Honorable Member, since the implementation of EU legislation is a responsibility of the Member States.
1. The Commission is working closely with the Turkish and Bulgarian authorities, as well as with all other Member States, with the objective of establishing a specific procedure for the export of live animals from the EU to Türkiye based on a pre-approval of the veterinary certificates via a new module in TRACES , to limit the recurrence of such incidents in the future.
2. The reasoning behind the revision of the current EU legislation on the protection of animals during transport is to propose[1] changes to the existing legislation[2] which will allow better protection of animals during their transport both within the EU, as well as of imports from and exports to third countries.
3. The Commission is supportive of replacing the transport of animals with meat, carcasses, and reproductive material wherever possible. However, a comprehensive impact assessment accompanying the Commission proposal in 2023 showed that such replacement is not feasible in all cases. Maintaining the transport of animals is necessary for the continuation of trade, livestock, and food production within the EU and in third countries. The Commission is promoting such replacements by incentivizing shorter transports of animals, as reflected in the Commission proposal.
[1] COM(2023)770.
[2] Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 of December 22, 2004, on the protection of animals during transport and related operations and amending Directives 64/432/EEC and 93/119/EC and Regulation (EC) No 1255/97 OJ L 3, January 5, 2005.
From the European Parliament website
