Brussels Urban Summit 2023 will confront challenges common to all cities
Reps from 300 cities worldwide will head to the Belgian capital, 12-15 June
The Animal Welfare Law was subject of vigorous debate in the past several months
The Spanish Congress finally approved the amended draft of the controversial and much-debated Law on Animal Welfare and Animal Rights on Thursday, 16 March. The law was initially passed at the beginning of February, but it underwent changes proposed by the Senate.
The final version now regulates animal ownership and grants rights to pets and animals in captivity as “conscious beings”. Nevertheless, following months of debates, certain types of dogs, considered to be professional have been excluded – these are hunting dogs, shepherding dogs and police dogs.
According to the new law, dogs cannot be left unsupervised for more than 24 hours and cats for more than three days, as this is considered cruel and now it will be also illegal.
The Senate removed the proposed obligation of tests for the owners together with their dogs to assess their aptitude to function in the social sphere. Likewise, it will be no longer mandatory for the public administrations to sterilize and put an identifying microchip on each of the cats that make up a feline colony.
Spain will also require pet owners to take out liability insurance for their animals. Cruelty to animals will be punished with fines of up to 200,000 euros or even imprisonment. If a pet is being abused by its owner, the animal will be taken from them and given to an animal shelter.
The ruling Socialist Party (PSOE) who were the initiators of the legislative proposal had already hailed the law as a "historic advance" and argued that it would protect all animals from mistreatment and abandonment despite not specifically addressing hunting dogs.
The Socialists backpedalled in December on regulating hunting dogs, fearing the issue could push rural voters toward right-leaning parties in a general election this year. Spain's hunting industry is worth an estimated 5 billion euros a year and has a powerful lobby.
The development will offer 70 rental apartments at 6.90 euros per square metre
The aim is to curb the ‘professionalization’ of short-term rentals
Reps from 300 cities worldwide will head to the Belgian capital, 12-15 June
The team presented the final report about a year, which was supposed to put the Luxembourgish city on the cultural map of Europe
Special sensors will measure the moisture content in the soil near the roots
An innovative project shows how history can be made vibrant with the help of cutting-edge tech
But also, 60% of the people in the country do not know what a ‘low-emission zone’ is
1,000 such spaces, strategically placed near public transit hubs, will help rethink the place of the car in the city
The city has signed a new lease deal for an area of 12 hectares which will include production facilities and renewable energy generation
The development will offer 70 rental apartments at 6.90 euros per square metre
The aim is to curb the ‘professionalization’ of short-term rentals
The team presented the final report about a year, which was supposed to put the Luxembourgish city on the cultural map of Europe
The practical art objects are competing for one of the 2023 New European Bauhaus Prizes
Cast your vote before 24 May and do your part in promoting the NEB values
The new itineraries are part of the DiscoverEU programme, which lets 18-year-olds travel by train between important European sites
An interview with the president of the European Federation of Journalists
A talk with the head of Mission Zero Academy on the benefits for municipalities if they go the zero waste way
A talk with Nicolae Urs, one of the key figures behind the city's new data platforms and online services strategy