Compassion in World Farming has today (4 February) welcomed the Court of Justice of the European Union’s decision to grant a hearing to the EtCA Citizens’ Committee and the other intervening NGOs on 5 March at 9.30am CET in Luxembourg.

The landmark case stems from the successful End the Cage Age European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) - signed by over 1.4 million EU citizens and supported by 170 NGOs led by Compassion in World Farming. The Commission made a clear commitment in 2021 to respond to the action by introducing legislative proposals for an EU ban on caged farming by the end of 2023 but failed to keep its promise.

At the hearing, the NGOs will make a clear and compelling case on behalf of 300 million animals who remain in cages across the EU. They will call for the Commission to fulfil its legally-binding commitment by presenting a clear timeline to deliver legislative proposals to ban caged animal farming for all farmed species, as well as granting access to its EtCA files.

Annamaria Pisapia, Head of Compassion in World Farming Italy and spokesperson for the Citizens’ Committee of the EtCA ECI, said:

This hearing will give us a chance to explain in detail how the Commission’s inaction is prolonging the suffering of millions of animals and endangering participatory democracy.

It’s almost five years since the Commission committed to bring forward legislative proposals, yet the 300 million farmed animals suffering in cages every year are still waiting, as are the 1.4 million EU citizens who dared to speak up for them by supporting the EtCA ECI.

Launched in March 2024 by the Citizens’ Committee of the EtCA ECI and spearheaded by Compassion in World Farming, it’s the first case to hold the EU executive accountable over its failure to act on an ECI that it has committed to deliver. In January 2025, major NGOs including Eurogroup for Animals, Animal Equality and LAV were accepted as interveners in the case, as their activities too were directly impacted by the Commission’s failure to deliver the promised proposals.

Following a formal request filed in May 2025, the Court has decided to allow the parties involved to state their case in a public hearing. Compassion in World Farming considers this a key milestone in ensuring the Commission presents a clear and reasonable new timeline for the proposals to phase out caged farming, and grants access to its EtCA files.

The Citizens’ Committee highlights that ECIs were introduced to give EU citizens ‘help shape’ EU decision making and that to renege on this historic promise to ban cages defeats the very purpose of this democratic tool, undermining citizens’ trust in the Commission.

An overwhelming 89% of EU citizens – around 400 million people – believe animals should not be farmed in individual cages. Yet, across Europe, around 300 million pigs, hens, rabbits, ducks, quail and geese still spend most of their lives in cages every year. Animals kept in cages are often confined in barren environments, either overcrowded or completely lacking social contact, unable to turn around or express even the most basic behaviours.

Court to hear landmark case over EU’s broken promise to ban cages