For the first time, the European Union is preparing a continent-wide Regulation on the welfare and traceability of dogs and cats. The proposal, already approved in a first reading by the European Parliament in June, will now enter trilogue negotiations between the Commission, Parliament and the Council to reach a final compromise text.
Once adopted, the Regulation will be directly binding on all EU member states, meaning that by 2026 at the latest, Cyprus will have to be fully aligned administratively, technically and legally.
However, speaking to Politis to the point, Green Party MP Charalambos Theopemptou warns that the country is entering this new era unprepared.
“The EU has been working on this framework for years, and Cyprus should have already done the basics: establish a single registry for dogs and cats, adopt a comprehensive policy for stray cats, designate a competent authority, and properly enforce its own regulations. Instead, we have laws that exist only on paper,” he says.
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Green Party MP Charalambos Theopemptou says that microchipping will soon
apply to every dog and cat in the EU to ensure that no animal goes untracked
According to the European Parliament’s adopted text,
“It is crucial to ensure the traceability of dogs and cats through a system that identifies and registers them before their first placing on the Union market, and whenever ownership changes.”
This means every dog and cat offered for sale, adoption, or transfer must be microchipped and registered in a national database.
The Parliament also calls for stricter control of online advertisements to curb illegal animal trade.
“The Regulation introduces mandatory registration, reinforced checks on online sales, and enhanced traceability of animals, with transition periods of up to ten years to allow the authorities to prepare.”
The EU aims to establish common rules for all operators: breeders, pet shops, shelters, transporters, and adoption centres. Minimum welfare standards are also foreseen for housing conditions (lighting, ventilation, feeding, socialisation, and bans on painful practices), along with annual veterinary inspections.
Cyprus’ obligations: paws on it
Once the Regulation is adopted, Cyprus will be required to:
- Create a national registry for dogs and cats linked to the EU-wide system.
- Designate the Veterinary Services as the competent authority for licensing and inspections.
- Establish effective and dissuasive penalties for violations.
- Update its domestic animal welfare legislation.
The official text states:
“Member States shall establish and maintain databases for dogs and cats and ensure their interoperability.”
As Theopemptou notes, “Cyprus already has legislation on breeding facilities and shelters since 2021, but it is barely enforced. The new European reality will demand real policies and transparency, digital registration, and systematic inspections — not just committees and press releases.”
Trap–Neuter–Return: A viable policy
Theopemptou also insists that Cyprus must adopt a coherent national policy for stray cats, centred on the TNR method (Trap–Neuter–Return).
“International experience shows TNR is the only long-term, humane and effective method. Killing doesn’t reduce populations, the so-called ‘vacuum effect’ simply fills the gap again. Sterilisation, registration, and care are the only way forward.”
His proposal calls for a seven-year national plan (2025–2032) to sterilise at least 70% of recorded colonies, create regulated feeding points under hygiene rules, and establish a registry of caretakers working with municipalities.
What the new EU Regulation changes for dogs and cats
1. Mandatory microchip for all animals
Every dog and cat in the EU must be microchipped before first sale, adoption, or transfer, including imports from third countries.
2. Unified EU registries
Each animal will be entered into a national database linked to the EU network to ensure full traceability of origin and movements.
3. Annual inspections and welfare standards
Breeding facilities, pet shops and shelters must meet minimum welfare conditions (space, light, ventilation, food, socialisation) with annual veterinary checks.
4. Online ad verification
Online platforms must verify that every animal offered for sale or adoption is legally registered, via a free EU verification system.
5. Sanctions and transparency
Member states must set effective, proportionate and dissuasive penalties and submit annual progress reports and indicators (KPIs) on implementation.
“Animal welfare is a measure of civilisation”
“Animal welfare is not a luxury but a sign of civilisation and institutional seriousness,” says Theopemptou.
“The new Regulation gives us a unique opportunity to finally organise animal welfare on European standards. If we miss it, we’ll once again be running behind the curve.”
The forthcoming Regulation is not just a new EU obligation for Cyprus, it is also a test of whether the country can move from words to action and show that respect for animals reflects respect for society itself.
So Europe is setting the standard and Cyprus must prove it can walk the talk, paw by paw.