Answer given by Ms Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission
13.3.2020
To date, the welfare of companion dogs is not governed by EU rules. It remains the sole responsibility of the concerned Member States.
There is no legal basis in the EU treaties to propose legislation on animal welfare as such. Article 13 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union[1] requires paying full regard to the welfare of animals when this is involved in the formulation of a number of EU policies, like agriculture or the internal market.
Furthermore, the Commission has to respect the principles of proportionality and subsidiarity. Nonetheless, animal welfare actions will feature in the Farm to Fork Strategy. Furthermore, the Commission has also been promoting important non-legislative activities such as in the framework of the EU platform on animal welfare[2].
The Commission does not have funds to finance activities that are not under its remit.