EU Urges Bulgaria to Fully Implement Right to Information in Criminal Cases
The European Commission has once again urged Bulgaria to fully comply with the EU Directive on the right to information in criminal proceedings
Is Laying Hens' Welfare the Butt of a Bulgarian Joke?
- Tweet
Send to Kindle
On Monday, Agriculture Minister Miroslav Naydenov vowed that Bulgaria would comply with EU minimum standards for keeping egg laying hens by April 2012.
He had to vow something, because in end-January, the European Commission launched infringement procedures against 13 EU member states, including Bulgaria, over their failure to implement EU legislation concerning the welfare of laying hens.
The compliance deadline Naydenov faces is end-May 2012.
Commenting on the introduction of the ban on "un-enriched" cages, the Agriculture Minister explained that the number of "unhappy" laying hens in Bulgaria was 500 000 out of a total of 3 million.
By April, the "unhappy" ones would all turn into "happy" ones, Naydenov proudly assured.
Naydenov's words were not a sudden whim; the "happy" qualifier came in circulation with the breaking of the news about the EC infringement proceedings.
Given Bulgaria's less than shiny record in animal rights protection, isn't the joke rather misplaced?
Is it not sick humor to call the birds' right to a floor space of less than the size of an A4 sheet of paper a state of "happiness"?
Is epidemic cynicism to be tolerated as a safe outlet during times of crises?
If so, how long will it take before we forget the real value of things, for instance animal welfare?
Related Articles:
EU Directive Promotes Repairing Defective Goods Over Replacement
The European Union member states, represented by the Council, have approved a directive aimed at promoting repair over replacement for defective goods
European Parliament Passes Landmark Directive on Platform Workers' Rights
The European Parliament has approved the EU's inaugural directive aimed at regulating the employment rights of individuals working through online platforms
The EU has finally adopted the Copyright Directive
EU countries have approved copyright reforms that have been strongly supported by publishers.
Over BGN 20 million have been Paid for the Welfare of Birds in Bulgaria
Since the end of March, State Fund Agriculture has paid a total of BGN 20 620 952 million to 112 poultry farmers under the measures under the scheme "Aid for the implementation of voluntary commitments for bird welfare," the institution said.
Bulgaria Seized More Than 600,000 Fake Goods at Its Borders for 2016
Bulgaria seized 638 248 fake goods - articles violating intellectual property rights - at its borders in 2016, a number that is about the half the amount the country confiscated in 2015, according to a report released by the European Commission on July 20
Caught in the Middle: Europe and the Iran Crisis
Nobody asked Europe whether it wanted this war. The US and Israel acted alone on February 28th, and the continent woke up to a crisis it had no hand in starting but now has no choice but to navigate.
Their Names Must Not Be Forgotten: Bulgarians Who Fell in Ukraine
When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, it did not count on one thing: that among the defenders standing in its way would be Bulgarians.
The Caretaker Republic: How Bulgaria Learned to Govern Without Governing
Bulgaria has a constitution, a parliament, and a president. What it has struggled to maintain, with remarkable consistency over the past decade, is an actual functioning government. Since 2021 alone, the country has cycled through five caretaker cabinets,
More Than a Budget Crisis: Bulgaria's Gen-Z Demands a Political Reckoning
On the evening of December 1, 2025, Bulgaria witnessed its most significant popular mobilization since the 1990s
How many Times were Diplomatic Relations between Russia and Bulgaria Severed
If we look at history, there are not many cases in which relations between Bulgaria and Russia at the state level were as bad as they are at the moment.
Boycott of Moscow's Victory Day Parade Helps New Iron Curtain Fall
The term “Iron Curtain” was not coined by Winston Churchill, but it was he who turned it into one of the symbols of the latter part of the twentieth century by using it in his famous Fulton speech of 1946.
