European veterinarians may offer their services in Greece on a temporary and incidental way, according to the Council of State (CoS) on Monday, partially cancelling two Agriculture Minister decisions of 2015.
The contested regulations concerned the certification of veterinarians and their access to the newly established electronic database of pets, established by a 2012 law.
Greece’s highest administrative court ruled after injunctions filed by the Panhellenic Animal Welfare Federation and six animal welfare organizations.
The court said it was illegal to deny certification of veterinarians who were citizens of EU member states, and to restrict the free provision of services within the EU.
The decision does not specify whether such provisional services will be paid or voluntary.
PS this is a very important decision as vets form other EU states often offer emergency services like mass sterilizations to strays in Greece.
