La tutela del benessere animale nel diritto europeo

Abstract: Animal Welfare In The European Legislation – Legislators and judges have always concerned about animal welfare. In particular, they’ve been considering the amount of violence involved in the relationship between human and animals. In this field, the first European regulation has come with the European Convention for the Protection of Animals during International Transport – in 1968. From that very first convention European States have been providing many other laws and treaties on animal welfare. The latter, and probably the most important, is article thirteen of the TFUE. As a matter of fact, this article fills many gaps in the Constitutions of the Member States, as it establishes the value of animal as sentient beings. Article thirteen is the result of a more mature and conscious legal attention to the needs and rights of animals. It represents the start of a new legal era, although the story of animal welfare it’s still largely to be written.