Call for EU rules on dangerous dogs

Date: 27/07/00

GERMANY is set to call for EU-wide controls on pit-bull terriers and other breeds of fighting dogs at a meeting of justice ministers this weekend.

German Interior Minister Otto Schily wants the Union to introduce strict rules to govern the breeding and ownership of certain types of dangerous dog after a six-year-old boy was mauled to death in his country last month.

Details of what form the legislation could take have yet to be discussed, although diplomats say it could mean outright bans on certain breeds or strict registration rules for potentially dangerous dogs and their owners.

When the issue was first raised at a meeting of EU agriculture ministers earlier this month, governments expressed enthusiasm about addressing the problem but referred the issue to justice ministers for further talks. "All the member states have encountered problems with certain dangerous breeds during the last few years," said one Union diplomat. "I think justice ministers will take a positive approach to this discussion."

Germany is planning national legislation to ban the import of pit bulls following the tragedy, but Schily wants tougher controls on potentially violent dogs put in place across Europe. "This is the first time this topic has been taken up at the EU level," said a German spokesman. "We have had many positive signs from member states saying that something needs to be done in this area."

Several member countries already have bans or restrictions on certain breeds of dogs, but details of the laws vary from states to state. It remains to be seen whether governments will agree that EU-level action is needed.

Germany is set to call for EU-wide controls on pit-bull terriers and other breeds of fighting dogs at a forthcoming meeting of justice ministers.