The European Commission has cleared the way for an EU-wide signature campaign for vegan food. Last week, Brussels accepted the founding document and letters of support for the "European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) for Vegan Meals."
The initiators advocate for a law requiring all public and collective restaurants and catering establishments to also include vegan alternatives on their menus. They expect, among other things, a positive effect on combating climate change, the biodiversity crisis, and food security.
After this registration, the organizers now have six months to collect signatures in all EU countries. If within a year one million supporters from at least seven different member states are found, the European Commission must respond with a reasoned answer.
Similar citizen initiatives are currently underway addressing, among other issues, the use of cages and enclosures in livestock farming and the use of chemical agents in agriculture.
The Party for the Animals has called on the European Commission to stop the import of Australian products containing kangaroo meat.
Member of the European Parliament Anja Hazekamp wants to know why Brussels has not responded to the parliamentary inquiry in the Australian state of New South Wales regarding the kangaroo hunt.
That inquiry confirms, among other things, that healthy baby kangaroos are routinely killed during the hunt. Additionally, many kangaroos are injured by rifle shots from long distances during the hunt, which violates Australian regulations and causes severe animal suffering.
Several major companies, including the Dutch BOL.com, stopped selling kangaroo leather and other kangaroo products following this inquiry.
The Party for the Animals made the appeal to the European Commission on World Kangaroo Day. In 2018, Hazekamp had already advocated for an import ban following a shocking documentary about the kangaroo hunt. The European Commission took no action then.