Interview of Vice President of Europen Comission, Franco Frattini in the newspaper "Romania Libera" 22.11.2006
Interview in Romanian
1-
Are you aware of the situation concerning stray dogs in Romania? How do
you personally judge it? Did you find a comparable situation in other
countries you have been?
I
have heard from the situation of stray dogs in Romania and I have to
admit that I am very fond of animals so I don’t like to know that they
are mistreated and killed. Maybe the great number of stray dogs in
Romania has obliged the Romanian government to take a drastic solution
but, according to me, death can never be considered a good solution.
The official laws state that stray dogs are captured and killed by an
injection but some videos show us that the methods are more violent and
that it is not only the injection they use to kill them. Not only dogs
but animals in general don’t deserve to be treated in this way. We
should live only few days with them to understand how much affection
they could give to us. Personally I don’t have dogs but I have two cats
that are part of my family and I’d not like to imagine that they could
undergo atrocious massacres. I know that some projects called “Neuter
and Release” have just started. Using this technique the dogs are
caught, neutered and then released. In this way they can stop the cycle
of reproduction and avoid their increase.
Such kinds of projects are surely more efficacious, cheap and ethical but, mainly, they take care of animals’ rights!
I know that also in other States there are similar problems, the latest
notice I’ve heard regards Serbia that is having a similar problem
caused by the war in Bosnia in 1990 because the domestic animals cannot
enter in the refuges, so those dogs have to be killed. It seems that
the mayor of Subotica promised to stop these massacres till they have
finished constructing places where to kill them. But, at the end, the
destiny of dogs is always the same: the death.
2- How does the EU consider our law that rules the stray dogs’ problem? Is it a good one or should it be improved? If so, how?
I can’t judge a national law without knowing all the components that
let this law be approved, but I think we always should do everything we
can to find any solution alternative to death. The best option, in any
case, is to find other solutions.
Dogs are not human beings but are God’s creatures so they deserve to live as ourselves.
Some foreign associations are trying, as I have said before, to control
this problem by doing sterilization so that they can control, at least,
the increase of dog’s number. It is good to continue this sterilization
but the government needs
also to find a way to reduce and eliminate the phenomenon of stray
dogs. They have to eliminate the problem but, obviously, it does not
mean eliminate dogs.
3- Which suggestions would you give to our Government concerning animal rights, based on your knowledge of European laws?
The European Commission is aware of this problem and of the inhumane eradication methods applied to stray dogs in Romania.
Even if inside the EC I am not the responsible of animal welfare issues
but this kind of problems concern to Mr. Markos Kyprianou, as
Commissioner for health and consumer, I know that upon this matter a
European Convention for the protection of pet animals has been signed
in Strasbourg on 13th November 1987 and it recognise that man has a
moral obligation to respect all living creatures and bear in mind that
pet animals have a special relationship with man.
The Convention lays down the obligation for each member to take the
necessary steps to give effect to the relevant provisions of that
Convention, which includes, amongst others, provisions on the keeping,
killing neutering and reduction of numbers of stray dogs and
information and education programmes for the public.
Stray animal is defined as a pet animal which either has no home or is
outside the bounds of its owner’s or keeper’s household and is not
under the control or direct supervision of any owner or keeper and when
a country considers that the numbers of stray animals present it with a
problem, it shall take the appropriate legislative or administrative
measures necessary to reduce their numbers in a way which does not
cause avoidable pain, suffering or distress.
The Protocol on Protection and welfare of Animals provides that the
Community shall pay full regard to the welfare of animals in
formulating Community policies on agriculture, transport, internal
market and research.
The European Parliament has banned the use of non-human animals for
testing cosmetics after the battle between activists and French perfume
producers. This law inhibits the use of mice, rabbits and primates for
most tests within six years and all tests within 10 years. The catch is
that toxins can still be used on animals until an “alternative” is
found. The ban on marketing all cosmetics that rely on animal testing
will also make it impossible for firms to have offshore laboratories.
However, issues such as stray dogs remain under the sole responsibility
of the Member States. There is any intervention by the Commission in
relation to the matter of stray dogs in Romania.
There is also a restriction of pet-animal movements mainly by the
introduction of a national system of identification and registration.
This requirement in EU REGULATION N:998/2003 also concern Bulgaria,
Romania and Turkey (we can’t forget that Romania and Bulgaria - two
countries particularly representative of the stray animals’ problem -
will become Member States on 1st January 2007).
Finally it is important to say that the 29th October 2004 has been
approved the integration of the 9th article of the Italian Constitution
according to which the Republic protects the biodiversity and promotes
the respect of the animals and, always on the same day, has been signed
the European Constitution in which it is written also that the European
Union and their Member States have to take care of the needs of animals
as sentient beings.
4- You deeply know many countries all around the world. Would you be
able to point out a virtuous model regarding animal rights?
I don’t want to indicate which is the virtuous
model. All countries treat animals in a different way. In the past, for
example, dogs were considered somewhere even a divinity.
Today, for example, in Scandinavian countries and in Netherlands animal
rights are very important and animals are well integrated in the family
and cities are “constructed” on a pet scale.
In my opinion is also important the role of schools (of every single
country). For instance, during civics subjects they have to teach to
pupils that also animals have rights and they have to make them
understand which is the better relation they can have with animals.
In Italy, for example, we try to control the stray of dogs with a
microchip we insert into their body. So, if we find them on the street,
we can punish the owner. Can we punish the dog and kill it if it is
abandoned from the owner? Certainly not! It’s not dog’s fault but it is
owner’s fault.
And then in Italy the stray dogs stay in kennels so that we can avoid having them on the streets.
Obviously also in Italy we have had problems because some people,
usually before summer holidays, leave dogs on the street because they
consider the dog as a sort of “burden”. So we changed some rules: no
more tattoos that can be took away (with a sort of mutilation) but
microchip. But we can’t affirm we don’t have, anymore, stray dogs.
We are trying to safeguard a creature that needs our help to live better.
5- There are few foreign organisations working in
Romania to protect stray dogs: do you think that dogs (and, generally
speaking, animals) deserve funds and human resources to be spent in
their favour?
Every day animal welfare organisations receive
cries of help relating to the massacres perpetrated on domestic
animals. An animal, just like a human being, is capable of suffering.
It is our duty to speak out for and protect those who do not have the
voice to do so by themselves.
According to this situation, if we want to change something in the
Society we must consider very important the work of those
organisations. People who work for these organisations usually do this
work not because they want to earn money but because they love the work
they are doing and they spend all their time and energy to achieve
their goal.
Obviously, sometimes they need funds and human resources to make their
work and I think it is right. Maybe only those who love animals can
understand their work and so can justify the fact that they receive
funds also by public authorities.
In this context dogs, but all the animals, are not to be considered as
objects but as God’s creatures and so they deserve to be helped, if
they need it.
It is wrong to think that animal’s problems are not our problems: all
the problems of the society are a problem of every single citizen.
I have been informed about the project of the association “Save the
dogs” that wants to help stray dogs in the city of Calarasi, after
running neuter and release programs in Cernavoda and Medgidia, and for
this project it is looking for funds from Europe. According to me, it
is right that Europe helps Romania also because it is becoming a Member
State of the EU.
6- Do you think there is a connection between the way a country treats its animals and the progress of its society?
If yes, why?
All countries have their own problems and we
cannot judge the progress of the society in connection with their
problems. Nevertheless if a country thinks to solve the stray dog’s
problem simply and only by killing them in a frightful way, I don’t
think that this country gives a good example.
Nobody deserves a similar treatment.
Can the dog be punished only because it doesn’t have an owner who takes care of it?
Can the dog be punished because it doesn’t have a house where to live in and it is obliged to live on the street?
Certainly this problem have to be solved, but in a right way. Maybe
after the sterilization, that has just started, we should find them a
house where to live. Adoption, perhaps, is the good way. If we want to
remove dogs from the streets we should open them some other
“doors”….maybe also our own!
