Last October, the European Commission registered the European Citizens Initiative (ECI). European citizens initiative for vegan foodwhich has now opened with a goal of collecting one million signatures.
The initiative calls for legislation to always make vegetarian options clearly available in private and public spaces where food and drink are sold in Europe.
The European Citizens Initiative (ECI) is a mechanism that enables EU citizens to participate in the development of the EU. The Commission must respond if a European citizens’ initiative receives one million statements of support within a year from at least seven member states.
It is worth noting that the Commission may decide to proceed with the request or not and must explain its reasoning. The European Citizens’ Initiative for Vegan Food deadline is April 5th, 2024.
Great benefits for the planet
The organisers, represented by Italian citizen Paola Sgarbazin, said: “The European Citizens’ Initiative for Vegan Food calls for legislation to introduce vegetarian options in the sale of food and drink to the public in Europe in the hope that participation will lead to European citizens’ approval of an EU law that will benefit the planet. There are many benefits, such as mitigation of climate crisis, extinction of wild species, deforestation, better land use, protection of marine life, food waste and malnutrition.
The Vegan Food Initiative states:
- Vegan options must be available in schools, canteens, hospitals, bars, restaurants, pizza parlours, sandwich bars, ice cream shops and motorway service areas to respect vegan preferences and be kind to animals.
- Increasing consumption of plant-based foods is one way to combat the climate crisis. This will reduce pollution from production, distribution and storage, and therefore save energy, as well as reducing pollution and planetary change.
- A vegetarian diet is a sustainable choice that is cheaper than other diets. It avoids the exploitation and killing of animals and changes related production and employment practices, creating a fairer world for everyone involved.
The EU is not opposed to values
By adopting this new initiative, the Commission recognizes that requesting vegetarian meals is not unreasonable or contrary to EU values. Vegetarian zoologist and author Jordi Casamitzana says it is within his power to create laws that make them mandatory. In 2020, he was involved in a case where the UK accepted ethical veganism as a protected philosophical belief.
“The European Citizens’ Initiative vegan food for those who are vegetarian, for those who want to be vegetarian, who respect the right to find vegetarian options everywhere in European countries and take action to offer more to climate change EU consumers plant-based food in their daily lives,” says the initiative on its website.