European Commission's reply to the petition regarding Serbia's new Animal Welfare Act

Following concerns on the way consultations on the new Animal Welfare Act in Serbia were carried out, in its reports on Serbia the Commission has acknowledged that the implementation of animal welfare legislation needs to be improved. Furthermore, the Commission considers that further efforts are needed to ensure closer and consistent involvement of the civil society in the accession process. In particular, the instruments and mechanisms introduced in order to enable the participation of the civil society in the legislative process need to be consistently implemented. Our efforts in the context of Serbia's accession process aim at improving both rule of law and relevant legislation. This concerns animal welfare as part of the relevant EU acquis. We are closely following this issue in all its aspects, and provide Serbia with technical assistance in order to strengthen its institutional and administrative capacities.