Constitutionalization of animal protection in modern states (on the example of Germany and Switzerland)

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The goal of this paper is to evaluate the phenomenon of the constitutionalization of animal welfare in selected foreign countries. This article covers some of the main problems of animal protection, including the objectives of this protection, and the methods for its implementation. The main objectives of this paper are to describe the definition of “animal protection” through a comparative analysis of legislative acts of foreign countries and to denote the existing prerequisites for the constitutionalization of animal welfare in Germany and Switzerland. Another objective of this study is to describe the process of incorporating provisions aimed at protecting animals into the constitutions of these states. The author also describes the typical constitutional values and attitudes to animals in the modern world on the basis of constitutions and other legislative acts of various states on the treatment of animals in various fields of human activity. The main research methods used in this paper were the following: a comparative analysis of the provisions of the legislation of individual countries and in the individual court decisions, a historical analysis of the prerequisites for amending national constitutions, as well as a historical analysis of the development of legislation in the field of animal protection. The social value of animal welfare for modern society, based on research in the field of bioethics, was described. In addition, this article presents the interrelation of the general humanization of society and the increase in the level of humane treatment of animals. The present paper also touches upon the development of animal protection initiatives that were later integrated into constitutional provisions in individual foreign countries in light of a specific political, cultural and social context. The expediency of protecting animals, its social value, the causes and consequences of raising this value to the constitutional level are analyzed. In conclusion, this study tries to answer a question on whether animal protection can be regarded as a stable constitutional value in its own right, while also attempting to evaluate whether there exists a continuous development of the content of the constitutional provisions safeguarding this value and whether a geographical expansion of these provisions takes place.

About the author: Georgiy Sitnikov – Chairman of the Public Monitoring Commission of the Perm Territory IV, V convocations, Perm’, Russia.

Citation: Sitnikov G. (2019) Konstitutsionalizatsiya zashchity zhivotnykh v sovremennykh gosudarstvakh (na primere Germanii i Shveytsarii) [Constitutionalization of animal protection in modern states (on the example of Germany and Switzerland)]. Sravnitel'noe konstitutsionnoe obozrenie, vol. 28, no. 6, pp. 86–105. (In Russian).

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