The unexpected – but ultimately welcomed – child the Commission delivered in December 2023 was initially thought to be an easy-peasy file. “Fluffy stuff”. Yes, someone actually said that. But after months of work in the European Parliament, that only remains true in the literal sense. Turns out, a shared love for cats and dogs isn’t enough to overcome political rifts.

Sure, many MEPs proposed good amendments, but others advocated for exceptions and reductions of the scope and a few even went as far as proposing to reject the proposal altogether. Certain political groups seemingly never managed to discuss the file internally, let alone come up with a common position. The AGRI rapporteur who had supposedly delegated oversight of the negotiations for most of her rapporteurship time, made a surprise comeback, took matters into her own hands and unilaterally called the final shots.

The AGRI report, and the Opinion that was adopted by the ENVI committee in early April are like night and day. Rather than a walk in the park, next week’s vote in plenary is thus shaping up to be a full-on catfight (pun intended).

MEPs haven't been completely alone in their struggle. The Council, who treated the dossier from January to June 2024, did a decent job. We have to give credit where credit is due. That said, their mandate was also not adopted without countries tripping over a few obstacles. Pre-election season, time was of essence under the Belgian presidency, preventing in-depth discussions on multiple matters on member states’ wish lists. A prime example? Identification and registration (I&R) of dogs and cats.

Whilst the Commission proposed a limited level of I&R, several countries pushed for a horizontal rule, applying it to all dogs and cats. But between the time constraints, as well as the Commission’s insistence that I&R for ‘all’ isn’t legally feasible, the Council ended up with an only slightly improved version of the original proposal.

The Commission's argument, being legally incorrect, wasn’t something they could state in written when MEPs asked in January whether article 114 TFEU provides for a legal basis for horizontal I&R. The evasively positive answer could, and should, have cleared the last stumbling block preventing the implementation of a measure the European Parliament itself has been asking for, through four resolutions, since 2012. That’s until a few rowdy 2024 elects entered the chat; screaming and shouting, quite literally, to everyone who wished to listen (yet, avoiding it was an almost impossible challenge) that this measure, and by extension most of the proposal, creates completely unnecessary bureaucratic burdens. The result? The (compromise) amendments that AGRI MEPs voted in favour of, allow for illegal dog and cat traders to keep circumventing EU rules and for this 3-billion-euro industry to persist. Additionally, the dogs and cats of 'smaller breeders’ are apparently not worthy of protection. Those who have fewer than 4 dogs or 3 cats, with no more than 3 and 2 litters per year respectively, are fully exempted from all basic welfare requirements the regulation contains. This means they don’t have to provide them with sufficient food and water, are allowed to keep their animals in containers and permanently chain them. Abandoning or killing those no longer used for breeding is not prohibited, nor is removing their claws or cutting their vocal cords without medical justification. “Kicking, hitting, dragging, throwing, squeezing” is apparently also acceptable.

We are talking about dogs and cats – companion animals that have been left unprotected for far too long. Yet the EU seems hesitant to fully commit to their welfare. There is no economic downside to stronger protection; in fact, the opposite is true. With just a few simple and straightforward measures, rogue traders will be discouraged from engaging in illegal breeding and selling altogether.

That is to say that if MEPs don’t get their act together, our four-legged companions will feel the consequences, quite literally. When a Union that prides itself on having the highest animal welfare standards in the world can ostensibly not even agree to properly treat the animals closest to our homes and hearts, the next five years look, frankly, rather grim.