Subject: Urgent need to honour the European Citizens’ Initiative End the Cage Age and safeguard EU democratic credibility

To:
Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič
European Commission
Rue de la Loi / Wetstraat 200
1049 Brussels
Belgium

Subject: Urgent need to honour the European Citizens’ Initiative End the Cage Age and safeguard EU democratic credibility

Dear Commissioner Šefčovič,

We are writing to you on behalf of concerned European citizens, animal welfare advocates, and democracy supporters to urge you to ensure the European Commission delivers on its long-standing commitment to implement the End the Cage Age European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI).

As you know, in June 2021 the Commission formally committed to propose legislation to phase out cages for farmed animals across the EU — a direct response to the successful ECI signed by 1.4 million citizens and endorsed by the European Parliament. That commitment was hailed as a milestone for both animal welfare and participatory democracy in Europe.

Yet, according to the recently leaked 2026 Work Programme, the promised proposal is again missing. (Euractiv, October 2025) This omission fundamentally contradicts earlier announcements made by the responsible Commissioner and signals a worrying retreat from the Commission’s own public commitments. The formal adoption of the Work Programme by the College, reportedly scheduled for tomorrow, risks cementing this failure of follow-through. It would be a grave mistake.

A matter of democratic credibility

The ECI instrument was created to empower citizens to shape EU policy. End the Cage Age is one of its clearest success stories — proof that public engagement in EU decision-making can work. If this initiative is allowed to fade without legislative action, it will not only betray the millions of citizens who signed it, but also undermine the very purpose of the ECI as a democratic tool.

As emphasised by The ECI Campaign and dozens of pro-democracy NGOs in the 2023 open letter to President von der Leyen, the Commission must “stand by its commitment to the European Citizens’ Initiative.”
That letter — available here — clearly warns that backtracking on End the Cage Age would erode citizens’ trust in the EU’s democratic institutions and reinforce perceptions of “citizens-washing” rather than genuine participation.

Our appeal to you

As the Commissioner responsible for overseeing the ECI, the Work Programme and ensuring coherence in the Commission’s commitments, we urge you to:

1. Ensure inclusion of the legislative proposal to phase out cages for farmed animals in the 2026 Work Programme.
2. Publicly reaffirm the Commission’s written 2021 commitment to the End the Cage Age ECI and provide a clear, credible timeline for its delivery.
3. Defend the integrity of the ECI mechanism as a cornerstone of participatory democracy in the EU — not as a symbolic exercise but as a genuine means of influencing policy.

A final word

The Commission’s response to End the Cage Age is more than a question of animal welfare — it is a test of democratic integrity. Failure to act would send a devastating message to millions of citizens that their voices, formally expressed through the ECI process, carry no real weight.

Commissioner Šefčovič, we therefore call on you to act swiftly and decisively to restore confidence in the EU’s democratic commitments and ensure that End the Cage Age becomes the success story it deserves to be — for animals, for citizens, and for the credibility of European democracy itself.

With urgency and respect,

Yours sincerely,

Dr. Carsten Berg
Association for the ECI
The ECI Campaign

CC: President von der Leyen; Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi; Members of the College of Commissioners, European Parliament ECI rapporteurs, European Parliament – Committee on Petitions (PETI)