Animal Politics EU | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 2014 |
| 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 | 2 / 720 |
Animal Politics EU, formerly Euro Animal 7, is a group of animal rights parties in European Union countries.
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]
| Country | Party | Votes in national parliament election | National MPs | 2014 MEPs | Votes in European parliament election 2019 | 2019 result and MEPs | Votes in European parliament election 2024 | 2024 result and MEPs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Belgium | DierAnimal | 47,733 (5 of 11 constituencies) | 0 | 0 | 606 (only German Community) | 1.5%, 0 | did not contest | |
 Cyprus | Animal Party Cyprus ‡ | 4,088 | 0 | 0 | 2,208 | 0.8%, 0 | 1,013 | 0.3% , 0 |
 France | Animalist Party | 63,637 (142 of 577 constituencies) | 0 | 0 | 490,074 | 2.2%, 0 | 494,356 | 2.0%, 0 |
 Finland | Animal Justice Party of Finland | 3,378 | 0 | 0 | 2,917 | 0.2%, 0 | did not contest | |
 Germany | Human Environment Animal Protection Party ‡ | 675,353 | 0 | 1 [6] | 542,226 | 1.4%, 1 [7] b | 570,498 | 1.4%, 1 |
 Italy | Italian Animalist Party | 0 | 0 | 160,270 | 0.6%, 0 | not part of Animal Politics EU | ||
 Netherlands | Party for the Animals ‡ | 235,148 [8] | 3 [9] [8] | 1 | 220,938 | 4.0%, 1 | 279,239 | 4.5%, 1 |
 Portugal | People–Animals–Nature (PAN) ‡ | 88,127 [10] | 1 [11] | 0 | 167,130 | 5.5%, 1 [12] a | 48,033 | 1.2%, 0 |
 Sweden | The Animals' Party ‡ | 3,648 | 0 | 0 | 4,105 | 0.1%, 0 | did not contest | |
 Spain | Animalist Party with the Environment (PACMA) ‡ | 326,045 | 0 | 0 | 294,657 | 1.3%, 0 | 134,425 | 0.8%, 0 |
 United Kingdom | Animal Welfare Party ‡ | 3,086 (6 out of 650 constituencies) | 0 | 0 | 25,232 | 1.1% (only in London) | no longer in European Union | |
‡ Founding parties of EuroAnimal 7.
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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).
