Belgium Takes Historic Step by Adding Animal Welfare to Its Constitution

The Belgian Parliament has made a historic move by officially acknowledging animal welfare in the country’s constitution. This significant move comes after years of advocacy by Animal rights organizations, with GAIA, a prominent voice in the movement, hailing it as a historic advancement.

The bill, passed on May 2nd, 2024, introduces a provision into the constitution obliging the Federal State, Communities, and Regions to ensure the protection and welfare of animals as sentient beings. This builds upon a pivotal change made to Belgium’s Civil Code in 2020, recognizing animals as sentient beings rather than mere property.

Proponents of the constitutional amendment argue that it provides clear guidelines for ensuring animal welfare. However, criticism arose from Vincent Van Quickenborne of Open Vld, who expressed concerns about potential extreme measures affecting practices like meat consumption or pest control. Such objections were swiftly dismissed by Kristof Calvo of Groen as baseless fearmongering.

The passing of this bill marks a significant victory for animal protection in Belgium. Claire Hugon of Ecolo described it as a “major victory to improve animal protection,” citing strong public Support revealed in a GAIA survey indicating that 86% of Belgians favored this constitutional evolution.

According to GAIA, 90% of Belgians consider animals to be sentient beings deserving of respect. The organization has campaigned tirelessly since 2016 to enshrine animal welfare in the Belgian constitution, and Thursday’s vote was hailed as a historic milestone. Michel Vandenbosch, president of GAIA, emphasized the importance of this development, stating, “Today, animal welfare becomes a full constitutional value, joining other fundamental principles.” He noted that this adjustment will provide more robust protections for animals.

The bill had already received approval from the Senate and required a special two-thirds majority during the Parliamentary vote to pass. Ultimately, it garnered 70 votes in favor, with unanimous Francophone backing, 23 against, mainly from Open Vld and the majority of the CD&V group, and 29 abstentions, notably from N-VA and Vlaams Belang.

Belgium now joins the ranks of six EU Member States conferring constitutional protection on animals, following Germany, Slovenia, Luxembourg, Italy, and Austria.

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