Q: Siôn Simon (S&D, UK) - Pet passports (2015-04-30)

As a follow-up to its response to Written Question E-001545/2015 on falsified pet passports:

Could the Commission state which two Member States informed it of the corrective actions they have taken in response to the Dogs Trust report?

What follow-up has there been to the action taken by the two Member States, and is the situation being checked and monitored on a regular basis by the Commission?

A: Mr Andriukaitis on behalf of the Commission (2015-06-15)

1. The investigations in the Dogs Trust report were carried out in Lithuania and Hungary.

2. In cooperation with Dogs Trust representatives, audits of breeders, dealers, transporters and veterinarians have been initiated in Lithuania and have identified multiple instances of infringements of EC law. As foreseen by EC law, dissuasive and proportionate penalties, including suspensions of licences of veterinary practices, have been imposed. The Hungarian veterinarians identified in the above report were referred to the police for further investigations on the account of falsifying passports and conspiring to defraud the system.

Because those two Member States have taken the appropriate measures to enforce proper implementation of EC law, the Commission has not envisaged any further measures.