Polish Left calls for all dogs to have identity numbers
The Left (Lewica), part of Poland’s ruling coalition, has called for every dog to be required to have an identification number. They say that this would help to prevent them from becoming homeless.
The policy – which the group called PIESEL, a play on words combining the name of Poland’s ID national identification number for humans, PESEL, with the Polish word for dog, pies – was part of a programme announced by The Left on Sunday as it campaigns for next month’s European elections.
Other proposals included better protection of women’s rights, in particular sexual and reproductive rights; a special EU fund dedicated to building affordable housing for rent; and a package of measures to protect workers across the bloc.
Propozycje Lewicy: 100 tysięcy mieszkań, prawa kobiet i ochrona pracowników
W niedzielę odbyła się konwencja Lewicy związana z wyborami do PE.
Wśród postulatów tej formacji znalazło się między innymi utworzenie Europejskiego Funduszu Mieszkaniowego, Karty Praw Kobiet oraz… pic.twitter.com/yP7ielTsYB
— Lewica News 🗞️📻📺 (@Lewica_News) May 19, 2024
“We will introduce a PIESEL for every dog so that there are no homeless dogs,” said Robert Biedroń, an MEP and one of The Left’s leaders. “Remember, these elections are not only about us, they are also about man’s best friends.”
The idea is, in fact, not a new one. In December 2022, the then agriculture minister, Henryk Kowalczyk of the Law and Justice (PiS) party, announced plans to oblige every dog to have a microchip with a unique ID number, which he likened to the PESEL system.
This would help ensure that “everyone is responsible for the animal they take care of”, said Kowalczyk at the time. However, the PiS government did not introduce the policy before leaving office in December 2023, when it was replaced by the current ruling coalition.
During Sunday’s policy convention, Biedroń also announced that The Left would seek the appointment of an ombudsman for animal rights at the European level. Before last year’s Polish parliamentary elections, The Left also announced that it would seek to create such an ombudsman in Poland itself.
💬 Każdemu psu wprowadzimy PIESEL – czyli PESEL dla psów. Tak, by nie było bezdomnych piesków. Pamiętajcie te wybory są nie tylko o nas. Są również o naszych najlepszych przyjaciołach.- @RobertBiedron #EuropaDlaCiebie
— Lewica (@__Lewica) May 19, 2024
Among other policies announced on Sunday, The Left called for common European standards for perinatal care and access to prenatal tests as well as stronger protection of women from violence, including the principle that “only ‘yes’ means [sexual] consent”.
To this end, they noted that they support an “EU Charter of Women’s Rights” that has been proposed in the European Parliament and which would seek, among other things, to enshrine access to abortion across the bloc.
The Left also called for the creation of a European Housing Fund worth €100 billion, including €10 billion for Poland, where it would be used to build 100,000 new apartments available for “cheap rent”.
The cost of rent in Poland has risen 62% since 2015 – the fifth-fastest growth among @OECD countries – with a particular increase after the arrival of Ukrainian refugees.
Between 2015 to 2022, the average wage rose 24.5%, far lower than rental increases https://t.co/Ft3qzgNRF7
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) December 21, 2023
The Left also wants a European Workers’ Package that would introduce a “European minimum wage, transparency of wages, protection against bullying, but also the right to be offline”, said Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, a deputy culture minister. She reiterated The Left’s aim to introduce a 35-hour working week.
The Left also pledged to “fight for the rights of rainbow families” to be respected across the EU, for example by ensuring that birth and marriage certificates from one member state must be recognised in others. This issue has been a problem in Poland for some same-sex couples.
Marek Belka, who is deputy chair of the Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament, also reiterated on Sunday The Left’s support for ending the right of individual member states to veto EU policies.
The Left, part of Poland’s ruling coalition, wants to abolish member states’ right to veto EU policies, saying it allows „irresponsible politicians to destroy the EU from within”.
The right-wing opposition warns this would diminish Poland’s sovereignty https://t.co/XgKDfbpeN2
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) May 6, 2024
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Main image credit: Mariposa Veterinary Wellness/Flickr (under CC BY 2.0)
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
