Kosher and Halal Slaughtering Before the Court of Justice: A Case of Religious Intolerance?

Abstract

In December 2020 the Court of Justice of the EU approved the legality of a decree, adopted by the Flemish Region in Belgium, which introduced an outright ban on slaughtering of animals by means of traditional Jewish and Muslim rites. The Court, which did not adopt the opinion of Advocate General Hogan, effectively nullified an express derogation for ritual slaughtering found in the EU’s regulation on slaughtering. This article will critically examine the Judgment, arguing that it has not only misinterpreted EU regulations, but also compromised the rights of European minorities to religious freedom under the Charter on the basis of questionable and inconsistent arguments of animal welfare. Animal Welfare, Kosher Slaughtering, Halal Slaughtering, Religious Freedom, Religious Minorities in Europe, European Court of Justice