RPA Europe, Risk and Policy Analysts (RPA Ltd) and Milieu are carrying out a “Study on the need for, added value of, and feasibility of introducing a ‘positive list of pets’ across the EU” commissioned by the European Commission DG Environment. 

The general objective of the study is to assess the need for, added value of, and feasibility of a science-based EU-wide positive list of animals that would be allowed to be kept and/or to be traded as pets in the EU, under appropriate welfare conditions, without harm to animal and public health, and without endangering wild species and global and regional biodiversity. The specific objectives are:
​

• To help determining whether there is a problem in relation to the way pets are regulated in the EU;

• To assist establishing whether any EU action would have a legal basis, the need for EU-wide measures and what would be their added value compared to national or regional measures;

• To support determining whether an EU-wide positive list of pets would be the appropriate instrument to address the problem(s) identified or whether other measures would be more effective.

​​
In particular, we are exploring whether the keeping and trade of pets in the EU pose a problem to:
​

• The integrity of the EU internal market

• The conservation of global and regional biodiversity

• The protection against invasive alien species

• The fight against illegal wildlife trade

• The protection of animal welfare, and

• The protection of public health and safety.

​
To gather evidence and stakeholders' views we are therefore carrying out a number of consultation activities. If you would like to know how we keep your data safe, you can consult this Privacy Statement.
​