EU Court ruling allowing member states to ban ritual slaughter: Commission ‘has full understanding of the concerns of the Jewish and Muslim communities’

In its ruling on Thursday (17 December), the Luxembourg-based Court backed a regulation adopted in the Flemish and Walloon regions of Belgium banning the slaughter of livestock that have not been stunned on animal rights grounds.The measure is considered as effectively outlawing the Jewish kosher religious practice which require livestock to be conscious when their throats are slit.

"The Commission takes note of the ruling. Of course it respects the judgement of the European Court of Justice,’’ said the spokesperson, Christian Wigand, in response to a question from European Jewish Press over the court ruling, during Friday’s Commission press briefing.

He added: "Let me make one thing very clear as you put this in the context of religious freedom for the Jewish communities. Jewish communities are and always will be welcome in Europe.’’

He referred to the statement made by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen shortly after her nomination when she said: "We are all part of the same community. There would be no European culture without the Jewish culture. There would be no Europe without Jewish people. Fostering Jewish life is something which I have always taken very seriously.

"We are committed to fostering a better understanding with and among religious communities, including for an open, transparent, regular dialogue between the EU institutions, churches, religious associations and philosophical non-confessional organizations under the so-called Article 17 dialogue,’’ the EU spokesperson said.

He added: "Nothing can change our resolve to always ensure that everyone in Europe has the right to freedom of religion. We will always uphold this fundamental right.’’ He added that the European Commission ‘’has full understanding of the concerns of the Jewish and Muslim communities brought by the judgement and we remain as always open to discuss such concerns with them.’’

Eric Mamer (pictured), head of the EU Commission spokesperson service, added that he "doesn’t believe that the Court ruling has to do with a ban”. It is rather an opinion which is given to the Belgian Constitutional Court (which referred to the EU court on this issue) on the Flemish decree that sets a number of conditions on ritual slaughter.’’

The Court ruling came as a surprise as it went contrary to an opinion by the Court Advocate General who recognized in September that the banning ritual slaughter is an attack on the rights of Belgian citizens to practice their religions freely and is incompatible with EU law.

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