Strasbourg 8/03/10

GUE/NGL MEP Bairbre de Brún will speak in Strasbourg today on a report she authored on the non-commercial movement of pets. This legislative text is the first modified regulation coming to the plenary, falling under the provisions of the Lisbon Treaty

The report allows five member states, to continue to apply more stringent regulations regarding the non commercial movement of domestic animals for the next 18 months, while ensuring that pet owners can continue to travel across EU borders with their pets. This will allow those countries in which rabies is not present to keep their animals protected.

Ms de Brún said "the proposed modified regulation acknowledges the progress made so far and in order to ensure that the rabies situation in the EU improves even further, it extends the life of a transitional regime in five Member states until 31 December 2011, at which time provisions on the non commercial movement of pets will be the same across the EU.

"The end of the proposed extension coincides better with the period when the European Commission expects to terminate EU funding of vaccination programmes to eradicate sylvatic rabies in some Member States, which is the main rabies problem in the EU."

This report, which has been agreed on its first reading, is the first report of its kind to go through under the new scrutiny procedures allowed for by the Lisbon treaty.

Led by Ms de Brún, all three institutions, including groups across the political spectrum in the European Parliament, were able to agree how these new powers would be implemented on this report.

The report will be voted on tomorrow.