about
We are diligent in our quest to provide your organization with the best service to bolster your work, always with the view of advancing the interests of animals.
team
Our small team is composed of highly skilled professionals specializing in the field of animal law and policy to provide our clients with the best service.
Alice Di Concetto
Alice Di Concetto founded the European Institute for Animal Law & Policy, where she serves as a legal advisor. She is also a lecturer in animal law at the Sorbonne Law School and in animal ethics at Sciences Po (College).
Over the past two years, working in public affairs, Alice has achieved the inclusion of additional provisions in favor of farm animals in the EU Green Deal. Prior to her arrival in Brussels, Alice completed a two-year appointment as a fellow in the Animal Law & Policy Program at Harvard Law School. Her publication record includes several law review articles in legal journals, including the French Review of Animal Law. Alice earned a master’s degree in Animal Law (LL.M, 2016) from Lewis & Clark Law School (Portland, OR). She graduated from Sciences Po Law School in Paris (Economic Law, 2015) and passed the Paris Bar in 2016.
Reagan M. Sova
Reagan M. Sova is the In-House Writer to enhance the language quality of all our internal and external communications.
Reagan graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 2008 (B.A. in English Language, Literature, and Writing) and again in 2010 (M.A. in English Literature). Reagan was on the faculty of Jackson College in Michigan for four years, as an Adjunct Professor of English from 2009 to 2013, and he has taught Creative Writing at the University of Louisville. In 2015, Reagan left academia to achieve a major life pursuit: the completion of his novel, Tiger Island, published by Harvard Square Press in 2017. His second book, Wildcat Dreams in the Death Light, will be published by First to Knock in 2022.
Since moving to Brussels in 2018, Reagan has worked as a freelance teacher, writer, and editor for executives in EU public affairs. He joined The European Institute for Animal Law & Policy in 2021.
what we do
The European Institute for Animal Law & Policy provides your organization with the best service to bolster your work, always with the view of advancing the interests of animals.
Animal Law Europe provides top-notch legal research services in French and English, under the form of hourly consultations and weekly to monthly research projects.
Deliverables are tailored to the clients’ needs. Formats include memoranda, reports, white papers, and oral presentation.
Animal Law Europe provides strategic expertise to assist clients in implementing legal and regulatory reforms.
We identify upcoming reform opportunities and map out relevant actors whose actions can affect lawmaking (“stakeholders”). We then connect our clients to our vast network of professionals within the industry and the EU institutions.
Animal Law Europe also advises clients in building advocacy pleas and pitching them to stakeholders.
Animal Law Europe’s core mission is to empower its clients through training and education. Training solutions are custom-made, for all levels and all group sizes.
Available courses include animal law and European law classes for all levels, as well as practical sessions that would teach professionals how to navigate the EU institutions and its law-making process.Our goal is to make our clients more performant in their daily work in the short term, and fully autonomous in the longer term.
We provide monitoring services to EU Public Affairs professionals.
Our targeted updates include ongoing and prospective public consultations, court rulings (European Court of Justice, European Court of Human Rights, and national courts when relevant to EU law), scientific publications, industry and NGO campaigns, and calls for contributions to publications or events.
areas of work
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The treatment of animals for food purposes in law and policies, including EU animal welfare legislation, the EU Green Deal and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)
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Animal welfare standards in voluntary certifications, such as the EU Organic and the EU Quality Signs regulations
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The regulation of consumer information pertaining to the treatment of farm animals used as ingredients for food production, such as front-of-pack labeling
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The treatment of animals for fiber purposes in law and policies
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The regulation of the production and commercialization of alternatives to conventionally-farmed animal source products (plant-based and cell-based)
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Efforts to contain and combat legal exemptions (including common industry practices and traditions)
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The legal treatment of animals used for scientific purposes
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The regulation of alternatives to in vivo models
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The EU and Member States policies to phase out animal-based science
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The legal treatment of wild animals in captivity for entertainment purposes (zoos, circuses, film industry, etc.)
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The legal treatment of animals used in traditions and rites (bullfighting, cockfighting, ritual slaughters, etc.)
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Laws and policies to curb biodiversity extinction
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Laws and policies to combat wildlife trafficking
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The laws and regulation regarding private ownership of wild animals
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The legal treatment of so-called “invasive species”
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Hunting laws
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International law and policy instruments regulating the treatment of animals as tradable goods and natural ressources (UN Conventions, OIE Codes, Free Trade Agreements, etc.)
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World Trade Organization rules and relevant interpretation of WTO agreements by the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body, and its articulation with EU and national laws
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mission, vision & values
Our mission is to help create a more just and humane world for both non-human and human animals. We work toward this goal guided by strong anti-oppression values.
Mission
The Institute’s mission is to improve the treatment of animals through law and policy, encouraging and participating in lawful and non-violent methods of change. Animal Law Europe firmly believes that knowledge is power, and so strives to empower different actors – nonprofits, public administrations, corporations, and academics – to act for animals through expertise and education.
Vision
Our vision is that of a world where animals are no longer considered as sources of extraction and exploitation, but as living, sentient beings.
In practical terms, the Institute advocates for the implementation of Article 13 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which mandates the European Union and the Member States to “pay full regard to the welfare requirements of animals” by virtue of their sentience.
Values
- Animal Protection: The European Institute for Animal Law & Policy assists on projects which carry the ultimate goal of improving the treatment of animals. Our consultancy does not collaborate on projects that contribute to further commodification of animals, nor do we contribute to humane-washing initiatives which stymie systemic change for animals.
- Diversity and plurilingualism: The European Union has 27 member States and 24 official languages. It is common for professionals in EU public affairs to be multilingual, with a passive command of additional languages. Yet, English is frequently taken up as the most common working language in Brussels. This contributes to the exclusion of populations who have limited abilities in English. For this reason, the Institute encourages its contacts to express themselves in their native language if they prefer, or by using additional languages besides English. To the best of its abilities, the Institute offers services in Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese, in addition to English and French.
- Education and accessibility: The European Institute for Animal Law & Policy creates accessible educational experiences for learners at any stage of education. Our mission is to empower clients through world class trainings in animal law and EU public affairs. The Institute further strives to make their contents accessible to people with disabilities. Please get in touch if you have suggestions on how to make our work more accessible to all.
- Anti-oppression and inclusiveness: As a female-founded consultancy, we stand against oppressive behaviors. The Institute does not work on projects that contribute to further marginalization of racial and ethnic minorities, low-income communities, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, or other historically oppressed groups. We also do not associate with organizations that fail to ensure a safe and healthy working environment for their staff. The Institute further promotes the visibility of all institutional actors, regardless of their size or influence, in addition to individual professionals, regardless of career stage.
- Cross-disciplinarity and solidarity: The European Institute for Animal Law & Policy aims to contribute to the institutionalization of animal protection objectives by building bridges between and within nonprofit actors, academics, for-profit actors, and public administrations. We believe in the power of synergies and discourage competitive behavior between actors.