When Law Becomes a Trap: How the New EU Regulation Threatens Cats and Dogs

By Vlad A’KOTLIS – Director of Lisko Travel Tour

The 21st Century? Not for Pet Laws in the EU

We live in an era of groundbreaking technological advances, space exploration, and artificial intelligence. Yet, when it comes to laws protecting our most loyal companions—our cats and dogs—it seems that EU politicians are still trapped in the bureaucratic thinking of the 19th century.

After 20 years of waiting, lobbying, and appeals for fair, humane, and modern legislation to protect pets, the European Commission has finally introduced a new regulation.

But this is not a law for animal protection. It is a document that treats pets as mere commodities, their owners as potential criminals, and the state as the ultimate enforcer.

Is this what we deserved after 20 years of waiting?

1. We Wanted a Law to Protect Pets. They Gave Us a Regulation That Makes Them Hostages to the System.

For years, pet owners have called for reasonable laws. How many have suffered at the hands of corrupt customs officers, unnecessary pet transport restrictions, and neglect from authorities?

We asked for:

• Recognition of cats and dogs as family members, not commodities.
• A ban on commercial mass breeding that treats animals as mere merchandise.
• A system for controlling pet food quality and veterinary services.
• Affordable emergency veterinary care for all pets.
• Simplified pet travel regulations for owners.

And what did we get?

📜 A bureaucratic nightmare designed to punish responsible pet owners.

Now, if you own a pet, you must:

• Microchip and register them in a government database you have no control over.
• Follow strict breeding laws that won’t stop mass puppy mills but will destroy responsible small breeders.
• Adhere to new pet transport rules that don’t ban mass commercial transport but will make it harder for private owners to move their pets.

This regulation will not protect a single animal. It will simply create more paperwork, more fines, and more barriers.

2. We Asked for Humane Laws. They Gave Us Total Control.

A regulation should have simplified life for responsible pet owners. Instead, it treats them like criminals by default.

• 🐾 Want to adopt a pet? Be ready for inspections.
• 🐾 Want to travel with your pet? Pay an overpriced licensed transporter, or stay home.
• 🐾 Want to save a stray kitten? Hope you can afford the registration, or the government will fine you.

This is not a regulation for the people. It is a regulation for bureaucrats who see every owner as a violator and every pet as a transaction.

3. We Wanted Protection from Cruelty. They Gave Big Business a Monopoly.

We expected:

• ✅ That veterinary clinics would follow mandatory quality standards.
• ✅ That pet food manufacturers would be required to use high-quality ingredients.
• ✅ That animal shelters and small breeders would receive support, not restrictions.

Instead, the regulation promotes:

• ❌ Total control over owners.
• ❌ Monopolization of pet transport and breeding.
• ❌ Stronger corporate influence at the expense of private individuals.

This regulation will not protect animals. It will create more victims.

4. We Wanted 21st-Century Laws. They Gave Us 19th-Century Control.

Twenty years ago, we hoped that Europe would lead the way in responsible pet protection. That laws would reflect reality, not just bureaucratic fantasies. That cat and dog owners would feel supported, not hunted.

But this regulation does not belong in the 21st century. It is a regressive system where pets remain commodities, and their owners are guilty until proven innocent.

5. This Is Not What We Deserved. This Is What They Want to Force Upon Us.

But we will not accept it.

We demand:

• 🚨 A complete revision of the regulation, involving real pet owners—not just bureaucrats.
• 🚨 Recognition of cats and dogs as family members, not commodities.
• 🚨 A ban on mass commercial breeding.
• 🚨 Freedom for owners to transport their pets without corporate monopolization.
• 🚨 Accessible emergency veterinary care for all pets.

This regulation is not progress. It is a step backward.

We demand a full reconsideration, because animals deserve real protection, and pet owners deserve respect.

Vlad A’KOTLIS
Director of Lisko Travel Tour