Open letter sent to PM calling for law on pets
More than 140 prominent figures of the arts and letters, as well as representatives of animal protection groups, have sent an open letter to the prime minister calling for a law on pets.
In the letter, the signatories call on Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to make good on a pledge made in September 2019 for legislation outlining clear rules of pet ownership and care.
Most importantly, they are asking that jurisdiction for drafting the legislation should rest entirely with the Interior Ministry rather than being split with the Ministry of Agricultural Development, stressing that the latter should only be concerned with laws pertaining to livestock farming, etc.
They argue that the Interior Ministry has jurisdiction over municipal authorities, which would be responsible to a large degree for implementing pet protection rules, but has also been in consultation with animal rights groups for hammering out the details of the new legislation.
