Animal Politics EU

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Animal Politics EU
Founded2014
Ideology Animal rights [1]
Animal welfare [1]
Political position Left-wing [2]
European Parliament group The Left in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL
European Parliament
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Former logo Euro Animal 7 Logo.png
Former logo

Animal Politics EU, formerly Euro Animal 7, is a group of animal rights parties in European Union countries.

Contents

Ideology

Animal Politics EU is considered left-wing. [2] The parties of Animal Politics EU take clear left-wing ideological positions, calling for enlargements of welfare systems, stressing the need to fight against social inequalities, and openly criticizing capitalism. [3] The group believes in the need to regulate and limit capitalism and globalization, arguing that compassion to animals should extend to socio-economic issues, stating that there is a "moral obligation to protect or care for the weakest creatures and give ‘a voice to the voiceless ones’—not only animals but also human beings with severe restrictions, children, and possibly poor people and oppressed or discriminated minorities." [4]

The group proposes a catalogue of policies that is shared by all of its member parteies, which include improving the legal status of all animals, redirecting EU subsidies away from livestock and fish farming, promoting plant-based lifestyle, phasing out genetically manipulated crops, ending farming practices that cause harm to animals, banning the export of live animals and animal experimentation, and abolishing legal protections and privileges to traditions that involve animal cruelty. [3]

All parties of Animal Politics EU also share a rejection of speciesism, arguing that it is nomrally unjustifiable to include non-human animals and their sufferingfrom moral considerations. The declarations of the group include: "the fight against all forms of discrimination, oppression and exploitation must be extended to the liberation of animals", "anthropocentrism and speciesism dominant in the history of civilization, allied to individual and collective egocentrism without any regard for the [animals] quality of living and sentient beings, have been causing a great ecological imbalance and enormous suffering", and "After the liberation of slaves and women, and giving rights to children, it is the next logical step to take the interests of animals seriously." [3]

Group members call for: [5]

Member parties

CountryPartyVotes in national parliament electionNational MPs 2014 MEPs Votes in European parliament election 20192019 result and MEPs Votes in European parliament election 20242024 result and MEPs
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium DierAnimal 47,733 (5 of 11 constituencies)00606 (only German Community)1.5%, 0did not contest
Flag of Cyprus.svg Cyprus Animal Party Cyprus 4,088002,2080.8%, 01,0130.3% , 0
Flag of France.svg France Animalist Party 63,637 (142 of 577 constituencies)00490,0742.2%, 0494,3562.0%, 0
Flag of Finland.svg Finland Animal Justice Party of Finland 3,378002,9170.2%, 0did not contest
Flag of Germany.svg Germany Human Environment Animal Protection Party 675,35301 [6] 542,2261.4%, 1 [7] b 570,4981.4%, 1
Flag of Italy.svg Italy Italian Animalist Party 00160,2700.6%, 0not part of Animal Politics EU
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands Party for the Animals 235,148 [8] 3 [9] [8] 1220,9384.0%, 1279,2394.5%, 1
Flag of Portugal.svg Portugal People–Animals–Nature (PAN) 88,127 [10] 1 [11] 0167,1305.5%, 1 [12] a 48,0331.2%, 0
Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden The Animals' Party 3,648004,1050.1%, 0did not contest
Flag of Spain.svg Spain Animalist Party with the Environment (PACMA) 326,04500294,6571.3%, 0134,4250.8%, 0
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom Animal Welfare Party 3,086 (6 out of 650 constituencies)0025,2321.1% (only in London)no longer in European Union

Founding parties of EuroAnimal 7.

Notes

^ PAN's MEP resigned from the party in June 2020 and remained in the Greens/EFA parliamentary group as an independent MEP.
^ Tierschutzpartei's MEP resigned from the party in February 2020 and remained as a non-inscrit MEP.

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References

  1. 1 2 Europe’s Animal Welfare Party Could Make History This Week. Care2, 21 May 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  2. 1 2 Morini, Marco (2018). "'Animals first!' The rise of animal advocacy parties in the EU: a new party family". Contemporary Politics. 24 (4): 4. doi:10.1080/13569775.2018.1434450. ISSN   1469-3631. EuroAnimal 7 has been able to elect 2 MEPs, one in Germany and one in the Netherlands, which are now part of the European United Left–Nordic Green Left, thus taking a clear placing on the left of the European political spectrum (and together with 'traditional' green parties).
  3. 1 2 3 Morini, Marco (2018). "'Animals first!' The rise of animal advocacy parties in the EU: a new party family". Contemporary Politics. 24 (4): 2–10. doi:10.1080/13569775.2018.1434450. ISSN   1469-3631.
  4. Sandler, Vivian Margoth (2021). "The Plight of Nonhuman Animals: An Overlooked Branch of Critical Theory? Its Presence in the Frankfurt School and Relevance in Portugal and PAN" (PDF). História e arqueologia. Universidade do Porto: 100.
  5. Benakis, Theodoros (5 April 2019). "Animal Politics EU present collective manifesto ahead of EU elections".
  6. "Results of the 2014 European elections". European Parliament. 22 September 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  7. "Nach der Wahl: Ergebnis Tierschutzpartei Europawahl 2019". Partei Mensch Umwelt Tierschutz (in German). 27 May 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  8. 1 2 "Kiesraad - Verkiezingsuitslagen". www.verkiezingsuitslagen.nl. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  9. "Support plunges for pro-animal party founder Marianne Thieme". 30 July 2019.
  10. "Resultados Globais - Eleições Legislativas 2022". Secretaria-Geral do Ministério da Administração Interna (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  11. "PAN consegue eleger um deputado". Renascença (in European Portuguese). 31 January 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  12. "PAN perde o seu único deputado no Parlamento Europeu por "divergências políticas"". Expresso (in European Portuguese). 16 June 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.