EU
Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union
Summary Description
Recognises animal sentience and imposes a duty on the EU and national governments to take into account the welfare of animals.
Species
All animals
Jurisdiction
EU
Sub-Jurisdiction
N/A
Type of Act
Constitutional treaty
Status
In force
Legal Value
Binding
Date Enacted
2007
Date Updated
June, 2023
Official Citation
Treaty of Lisbon amending the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty Establishing the European Community, Dec. 13, 2007, 2007 O.J. (C 306)54 (E.U.)
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- Recognises animals as "sentient beings."
- Imposes a duty on the EU and national governments to take into account the welfare of animals when formulating and implementing laws in certain policy areas.
Weaknesses
- This provision only provides a limited list of policies in which the governments must take into account animal welfare, although it does not prevent other policy areas from taking animal welfare into account.
- Translations into different languages than English refer to an animal's ability to feel pain (rather than sentience).
Related Laws/Policies
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