EU Petition for an EU-wide Positive List
Did you know that in many European countries it is still legal to keep tigers, servals, marmosets, baboons and other wild animals as pets? We’re calling for the European Union to change this – and your signature can make the difference!
Our official petition calls for the introduction of an EU-wide Positive List, which would specify which species can be kept as pets. Off the list? That’s a “no” to private ownership. Wild animals deserve to be wild – and we’re determined to help them.
Sign the petition!
Who can sign?
Anyone, anywhere in the world can sign this petition; you do not need to be a resident or a citizen of an EU Member State to ensure your voice is heard.
How to sign:
As this is an official petition hosted on the European Parliament website, it takes approximately 5 minutes to register and sign the petition. In the time it takes to make a cup of coffee you could add your signature and make a huge impact on the welfare of wild animals across the EU for years to come!
Step 1: Register for an account
• Click this link to access the petition on the website of the European Parliament.
• Click ‘register’ in the top right-hand corner and fill in your details.
• Check your inbox (or junk folder) for the confirmation email, and confirm your account.
Step 2: Sign the petition
• Go the website of the European Parliament using this link and log in.
• Click ‘support a petition’. Type ‘0891/2025’ in the search field and click ‘search’, or click here to go straight to the page.
• Click on the title of the petition. At the bottom of the page, click ‘support this petition’. In the next screen, click ‘support’.
On behalf of the animals, thank you very much.
The need for European regulation
Europe has a huge exotic pet trade, with millions of wild animals living in people’s homes, from primates to sugar gliders.
Unfortunately, these animals are usually kept in conditions totally unsuited to their needs and their natural behaviours. Macaques kept in chains with no other primates for company, when they were born to be social creatures free to climb and roam together. Tigers confined to small spaces, frustrated and unhappy. Leopards bought as cute cubs, now grown up and unmanageable in a private home.
At AAP Animal Advocacy and Protection, we see the negative impacts on animals first hand, with many former pets ending up in our rescue centres in need of extensive rehabilitation.
The situation can also become dangerous for humans, with risk of disease transmission or serious injury. And, if exotic animals are ultimately abandoned by their owners and left to fend for themselves, there can be significant risks to local biodiversity.
What needs to happen?
We are calling for the introduction of an EU-wide Positive List because we believe that private individuals should not be allowed to own animals that cannot thrive in captivity. Implementing a Positive List would not involve removing existing pets from people’s homes – but breeding, selling, or buying new animals of species not on the Positive List would no longer be allowed.
Although various EU Member States do already have laws and regulations such as national Positive Lists, the risks associated with it do not stop at national borders, which is why national action is not enough. Now, we have an opportunity to make our case to the European Commission (EC) for a Positive List – making the rules clear and consistent across the entire EU.
Why this petition, why now?
This is the moment to raise our voices. We’ve made important headway on our journey towards an EU Positive List – and now we are approaching a critical juncture.
- Firstly, it’s on the EU’s agenda. The petition signatures we gathered in 2020 made the EU take notice, leading to a resolution in the European Parliament which was ultimately adopted. A call for a Positive List Feasibility Study was included in the 2022 Action Plan Against Wildlife Trafficking, and the Study will soon be released. By signing the petition, you’ll help us keep up the pressure on the European Commission to prioritise this issue and act on the conclusions of the Feasibility Study.
- Secondly, January 2026 polling by Savanta shows strong support for an EU-wide Positive List among European citizens from 18 different Member States. The public believes in the need to regulate the keeping of wild animals as pets, and it’s time for European law makers to listen to their citizens. We need change, and we need it now.
To seize this important moment, AAP has therefore submitted a petition to the Committee on Petitions of the European Parliament (PETI committee). With this petition, we call on the EU to press ahead on the development of an EU Positive List.