The first European reference center specialized in aquatic animals is expected to open on the island of Crete, Greece, as announced by the Greek Minister of Agriculture, Lefteris Avgenakis, after a meeting with the EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, according to Euractiv.

Avgenakis and Kyriakides had a working meeting on the sidelines of a two-day meeting of EU agriculture and fisheries ministers in Luxembourg.

After the meeting, they both announced that the University of Crete had been selected to host a European Union reference center for the welfare of aquatic animals, "one of only four in the EU and the first specializing in issues related to aquatic animals," explained Kyriakides.

These centers provide technical support and coordinated assistance to EU countries, especially in conducting official checks related to animal welfare, and they are established within the framework of the so-called official controls regulation.

So far, the other three EU reference centers have been established for the welfare of pigs, poultry, and small farm animals, as well as for ruminants and equidae.

Establishing the center at the University of Crete is a "significant success," and it represents "another small step in the country's openness and development potential," said Minister Avgenakis in a statement.

He also emphasized that such a major project would contribute to "creating new centers and new jobs" in the region and would provide "efficient support to our producers" with know-how and modern tools.

The Reference Center will operate in the form of a consortium led by the University of Crete, with additional participation from the Biology Center of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague and the University of Barcelona.

According to the minister, establishing the Center will provide "know-how to producers in Greece and the EU in general," as well as "valuable knowledge for policy development by the European Commission."

The Greek Ministry also hopes to increase its role and reputation as an academic center in Europe through the University of Crete, "promoting scientific research on the welfare of aquatic animals, as well as environmental protection and improved water management, contributing to biodiversity conservation."

This news comes at a time when policy development in animal welfare is stalling, as the much-anticipated EU review of animal welfare rules, which was initially expected to be revealed by the end of the year, is conspicuously absent from the Commission's 2024 work program.