Respect for Animals joined campaign partners outside the European Commission in Brussels on 23 February to demand urgent action on the Fur Free Europe European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) and to warn against any attempt to preserve fur farming through weak standards that would keep fur farms open.
On 23 February, Respect for Animals joined animal protection organisations from across Europe outside the European Commission in Brussels to demand a full EU ban on fur farming and the sale of farmed fur products.
The protest took place at a critical moment for the Fur Free Europe European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI), which was backed by more than 1.5 million verified signatures and is awaiting the European Commission’s response.
Through the Fur Free Alliance, Respect for Animals was among the organisers and speakers on the day, helping lead the call for a response that reflects science, public opinion and the democratic mandate of the ECI.
The rally featured speakers from politics, campaigning and the fashion sector, including:
- Tilly Metz MEP (Greens/EFA)
- Anja Hazekamp MEP (Party for the Animals, Netherlands)
- Mike Moser, former fur trade CEO and now campaigner against fur
- Emma Hakansson, founder of Collective Fashion Justice
Their contributions underlined the breadth of support for a Fur Free Europe, from elected representatives and NGOs to voices with direct experience of the fur industry and fashion sector.
A clear message to the Commission: no weak standards, no delays
Campaigners gathered outside the Commission’s Berlaymont building with banners, placards and mobile LED screens, urging the EU to deliver what citizens demanded: a full ban on fur farming and a ban on placing farmed fur products on the EU market.
Speakers warned against any outcome that would leave fur farming in place under so-called “low standards”, a model that would still keep animals confined in cages despite the overwhelming evidence of inherent welfare harms.
The protest also highlighted the growing body of evidence behind a ban, including the structural economic decline of the European fur industry and EFSA’s 2025 scientific opinion on animals kept for fur production, which confirms that fur farming causes systemic and unavoidable suffering.
Public support remains overwhelming across the EU
The Brussels action was accompanied by polling showing continued strong public support for decisive EU action on fur.
Polling by Savanta for Eurogroup for Animals across 18 EU Member States found clear majorities backing an EU-wide ban on fur farming, with similarly strong support for action on the wider trade in farmed fur products. Campaigners said the results reinforce what the ECI already demonstrated: the public expects the Commission to act, not delay.
Respect for Animals highlights transparency concerns and democratic accountability
Speaking on behalf of Respect for Animals, Richard Bissett, Campaigns Manager, focused on the democratic significance of the ECI process.
He said campaigners had followed the process in good faith and assembled extensive evidence across animal welfare science, public health risks, public opinion, environmental impacts and the fur sector’s structural economic decline.
He told the crowd that the ECI is a “formal, verifiable, accountable, transparent, and democratic mechanism”, and said campaigners had done everything required of them throughout the process.
“We did everything right, everything that was asked of us. We followed all the rules, and we assembled all of our evidence on the science of animal welfare, on the threats to public health, on public opinion, on the environmental impacts, and on the structural economic decline of the fur industry itself.”
Bissett said that despite the strength of that case, the Commission had held “behind closed doors” meetings and workshops with fur industry lobbyists, and warned that these discussions appeared to be shaping low standards designed to keep fur farms operating in the EU, without an equivalent process for a ban.
He also highlighted what campaigners see as a serious example of unequal access:
“We found out towards the end of last year that the Commissioner himself held a meeting with the fur industry lobbyists. And do you know what the title of their meeting was? It was the Fur-Free Europe ECI. That’s our ECI.”
Bissett said campaigners then contacted the Commissioner to request a meeting about the ECI, but had not received a response.
Ombudsman complaint adds to pressure on the Commission
Respect for Animals and campaign partners have now escalated their concerns through formal action.
In his speech, Bissett announced that campaigners had filed a formal complaint with the European Ombudsman about the management of the Fur Free Europe ECI process.
The complaint reflects serious concerns about transparency, access and the Commission’s handling of a democratic process backed by 1.5 million citizens.
“If you try to bury 1.5 million voices below low standards that keep open European fur farms and continue the animal suffering, we will challenge you. We’ll challenge you through the Ombudsman process. You’ll be challenged in the Parliament and in the Council. And we’ll challenge you here in the public sphere as well.”
Campaigners argue that the Commission must ensure its final response is guided by science, democratic accountability and the expectations of the 1.5 million citizens who supported the initiative.
Respect for Animals’ message: no to special access, yes to Fur Free Europe
The Brussels protest sent a simple message to the European Commission: no to the cruel fur industry, no to special access for fur industry lobbyists, and yes to transparency, democracy, science and public opinion.
Respect for Animals is calling for the European Commission to deliver a full ban on fur farming and the placing of farmed fur products on the EU market. This is the only outcome consistent with animal welfare evidence, public health and environmental concerns, and the clear democratic mandate of Fur Free Europe.
If you would like to support our work to end the fur trade and protect animals, please consider making a donation to Respect for Animals.
