The European Parliament,

–  having regard to Article 13 TFEU,

–  having regard to its resolution of 5 May 2010 on evaluation and assessment of the Animal Welfare Action Plan 2006-2010(1),

–  having regard to Rule 123 of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas, according to the Treaty, animals are sentient beings and the EU and Member States must pay full regard to the welfare requirements of animals,

B.  whereas in some Member States, stray animals pose a threat to public health and safety,

C.  whereas some Member States are taking extreme measures against stray animals,

1.  Calls on the Commission to ensure that the principle mentioned in Article 13 TFEU is respected by the Member States;

2.  Calls on the Member States to adopt comprehensive dog population management strategies which include measures such as dog control and anti-cruelty laws, support for veterinary procedures including rabies vaccination and sterilisation as necessary to control the number of unwanted dogs, and the promotion of responsible pet ownership;

3.  Ask the Commission to encourage the Member States to introduce the mandatory identification and registration of every dog, by means of EU-wide compatible systems, in order to avoid the spread of diseases;

4.  Instructs its President to forward this declaration, together with the names of the signatories(2), to the Commission and the governments of the Member States.

(1) OJ C 81 E, 15.3.2011, p. 25. (2) The list of signatories is published in Annex 1 to the Minutes of 13 October 2011 (P7_PV(2011)10-13(ANN1)).