Today, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, a discussion on the role and performance of EU zoos will take place, hosted by the Parliament’s Intergroup for Animal Welfare.
 
Presentations will be given by Daniel Turner, Senior Operations Officer at the Born Free Foundation (and ENDCAP’s Coordinator) and Leslie Dickie, Director of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria. Daniel will be providing details of the findings, conclusions and outcomes of the EU Zoo Inquiry, the largest investigation into zoo regulation and performance in recent years.
 
The EU Zoo Inquiry, fully-funded and undertaken by the Born Free Foundation, evaluated the implementation and enforcement of the EC (Zoos) Directive 1999/22 in 20 EU Member States (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, England, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Slovenia), and included an assessment of compliance in 200 zoos. Findings have revealed systematic failings in the implementation of the Zoos Directive and additional animal protection laws in EU Member States.
 
The meeting will be chaired by Dan Jørgensen MEP, President of the Intergroup for Animal Welfare.
 
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