Historic hearing on EU’s cage ban failure: Project 1882 attends proceedings in Luxembourg

The success of the End the Cage Age initiative was confirmed in 2019, when 1.4 million validated signatures were submitted. The process moved forward smoothly: the initiative received support from both the European Parliament and the European Commission, accompanied by commitments to present legislative proposals for a cage ban by 2023. But progress then stalled. 

That promise remains unfulfilled. As a result, today marked the first court case examining the European Commission’s responsibility for failing to act on a citizens’ initiative it had publicly committed to deliver. 

Through our umbrella organisation, Eurogroup for Animals, today’s hearing allowed Project 1882 to explain how the Commission’s inaction prolongs the suffering of millions of animals while undermining participatory democracy in the European Union. 

We have been waiting for the Commission’s legislative proposal on a ban on cages for almost five years – it is a disgrace for both EU animal welfare and participatory democracy. The 300 million animals kept in cages in the EU’s food system, and the 1.4 million EU citizens who demanded change, cannot wait any longer. 

 – Benny Andersson, CEO, Project 1882 

Timeline 

• September 2018 – Launch of the European Citizens’ Initiative 

• September 2019 – Signature collection closes 

• October 2020 – End the Cage Age submitted to the Commission 

• February 2021 – 140 scientists call for an end to cages 

• April 2021 – Hearing in the European Parliament 

• May 2021 – Parliament’s Agriculture Committee supports the initiative 

• June 2021 – European Parliament backs the initiative 

• June 2021 – Commission issues its formal response 

• October 2023 – Commission breaks its promise 

Since the Commission broke its commitment, attention has shifted toward 2026 – but the institution has neither confirmed a timeline nor included the legislation in its annual work programme. 

Project 1882 was present today, both inside the courtroom at the Court of Justice of the European Union and at the gathering outside the court that followed, where organisations and citizens expressed continued support for End the Cage Age. 

Public support for a ban on cages remains overwhelming, and it was important for our organisation to be there to remind the Commission of that. Time has passed, but the need for action has not. We welcome this legal challenge and hope – for the animals’ sake – that it leads to concrete measures in the near future. 

 – Benny Andersson