Please read our previous post on the dedicated work of Mr Keith Taylor MEP; for South East England,  who has worked with SAV and Serbian campaigners to obtain further information about the situation for Serbian stray animals. – Read our post of 7th August by clicking on the following link:

https://serbiananimalsvoice.com/2013/08/07/england-uk-sav-works-with-very-supportive-english-green-party-mep-to-ask-serbian-authorities-about-serbian-animal-welfare-especially-shelter-azil-alex/ 

A copy of the letter sent by Keith to the Serbian government is provided below.  You can also see a copy by accessing Keith’s web site which can be found via the following;

http://www.keithtaylormep.org.uk/2013/08/08/keith-calls-for-action-on-street-dogs-in-serbia/ 

http://www.keithtaylormep.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Letter-to-Serbian-Agriculture-Minister_Dog-shelters_01082013.pdf 

Keith says – “As a candidate country for the EU I am urging the Serbian government to improve enforcement of and introduce stronger animal welfare policy.” –

See more at: http://www.keithtaylormep.org.uk/2013/08/08/keith-calls-for-action-on-street-dogs-in-serbia/#sthash.rJv2bgut.dpuf 

Keith’s letter to the Serbian government was sent on 2nd August 2013.  Over the past few weeks we have been corresponding with Keith’s team regarding further news and updates.  We can confirm that as of 16th October 2013 (16/10/13), Mr Taylor has still not had any response from the Serbian authorities regarding his letter of 2nd August.

As a candidate country seeking membership of the EU, failing to respond to the documented requests of an MEP in the EU Parliament for well over 2 months is not exactly the best way forward for the Serbian government.  Possibly it is that know, like us, that they are breaking the Serbian laws, but they do not wish to show this in a response to Mr. Taylor; and so they refuse to respond.

With all our recent campaign experiences within Romania (already an EU member state); we are continuing to promoter the fact that like Romania, Serbia should not be allowed to join the EU until is has become compliant with the EU membership requirements and shown full compliance with its own (Serbian) legal legislation – the rule of law.  Proving that this is being complied with is a fundamental requirement for any nation wishing to obtain EU accession (membership).

As Romania is also corrupt with its political system, we have no hesitation in calling for a full EU investigation into the current Romanian situation regarding where all the EU money for stray dog and cat management has gone.  We are happy to call for Romania to be removed from the EU is its government do not change and invest the money provided by the EU into animal population management rather than into the back pockets of politicians who then pass laws which allows a frenzied mass killing of all stray animals in the country.

If necessary, we will work with EU MEP’s to ask for a full review to be undertaken regarding the situation in Serbia prior to any EU accession.  As our good friends and fellow campaigners in Serbia are informing us, there is no change to the way stray animals are being treated by the government, despite there being laws which should provide them with protection.

Animals caught by shinters are being kept for just a short time in non adequate city ‘shelters’; which are anything but in reality.  There, animals often kill each other.  Animals are killed in the shelters by the use of T-61 which causes respiratory paralysis – the animals suffocate to death as they cannot breathe.  Public garbage firms continue to take money from the public taxes for catching stray animals – they kill them with no management or population control policy.  It is a very big and profitable business for some to be in, and this includes politicians – who wish to pocket money for animal management programmes and just keep on killing which is now against Serbian national legislation.

There are 25 regions in Serbia each with republic veterinary departments.  They all work on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture.  Not one of these 25 regions in Serbia has any lawful programme for the humane control and population management of stray dog and cat populations.  Government corruption overrides the welfare of animals as we have seen in some other EU states.  At present, Serbian campaigners are waiting to obtain a verdict from the Constitutional court re the matter of Subotica’s (one of the Serbian regions) programme, or non existent programme for stray animal management.  Any non existent programme is in direct violation of the existing Serbian legislation for stray animal management – Articles 7 and 15 of the Serbian animal welfare laws.

We will inform you of further news when it happens.

Links to just some of our recent past Romanian / EU campaign:

https://serbiananimalsvoice.com/2013/09/30/romania-30913-get-romania-out-of-the-eu-video-sample-letter-to-copy-and-send-to-the-european-parliament-additional-petition-at-end/ 

https://serbiananimalsvoice.com/2013/10/01/romania-11013-sample-letter-to-send-to-euro-contacts-and-lots-more/

https://serbiananimalsvoice.com/2013/10/12/swedish-mep-carl-schlyter-honorary-president-of-the-eu-animal-welfare-intergoup-talks-about-mass-dog-killings-in-romania/

https://serbiananimalsvoice.com/2013/10/07/eu-romania-this-woman-is-an-insult-to-the-name-eu-animal-welfare-intergroup-we-want-her-out/

As we say, welfare campaigners in Serbia have now written to the Ministry of Agriculture requesting that they be sent a full listing of / documentation associated with all cat and dogs shelters within Serbia; and as with the requirements of the new legislation, information of the condition of each of these shelters.

It will be very interesting to see what, if any, response, is given back to the campaigners by the Ministry.

https://serbiananimalsvoice.com/2013/08/27/serbia-27813-campaigners-now-ask-agriculture-ministry-for-full-listing-of-serbian-cat-and-dog-shelters-in-accordance-with-the-law/

In the meantime, we are (as of 16/10/13) now moving further with MEP Mr. Taylor, providing him with updates of the current situation in Serbia.  Ashe has had no response from the Serbian government in two and one half months to his original letter, we can thus say that the Serbian government must have something to hide – hence we consider they should not be allowed EU membership until they come ‘fully clean’ on their approach to stray animal management.

Mr. Talor MEP will with our help, will be further writing to the Serbian government on this issue. 

This time, Mr. Taylor will be able to give representation and names of many other MEP’s in the EU who now want to see exactly what is going on for stray animals in Serbia.  We will continue to work with our elected politicians in the EU to find out what we can about the full stray animal situation within Serbia.  At some point, the Serbian government will have to respond or face pressure to keep them out of the EU.  The choice is theirs.

SAV have an obligation to expose corrupt governments who are not protecting stray animals; be it in Serbia, Romania, or anywhere else where we can obtain information.

Mr. Taylor MEP is today (16/10/13) being provided with additional information of the current Serbian government inactivity; something he now knows well due to not having any response to his official letter of 2^nd August 2013.

We wish to thank Keith for all his hard work on the issue of Serbian stray animals.

As Serbia is not currently an EU member state, Keith does not have to work on this issue; but he does, as like us, he wishes to see a fair deal for stray animals wherever they may live.

Thank you Keith !

Filed under: CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, DOCUMENTS, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, LETTERS, SERBIA (Central Serbia: Capital - Belgrade) and (Serbia, The "Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) ALLIANCE | Leave a comment »