http://dx.doi.org/10.59704/1a64435a53616fc0 https://verfassungsblog.de/rights-nonhumans-eulaw/ Rights for Non-Humans in EU Law - The Potential of the EU Legal Order Epstein, Yaffa Bernet Kempers, Eva eng 2025-07-03 electronic resource text/html ddc:342 Charta der Grundrechte | Europäische Union EU Charter EU Law animal rights animal welfare anthropocentrism Charta der Grundrechte | Europäische Union Verfassungsblog Verfassungsblog--2366-7044 CC BY-SA 4.0 The recognition of animals and nature as potential rights holders has long been a controversial proposition within European legal discourse. However, we believe that the EU legal order is more hospitable to such recognition than one might expect. In a recent article, we argued for a rights-based reinterpretation of EU animal welfare and environmental protection laws. EU constitutional and secondary laws can be construed as entailing legal rights for non-human entities – even if these rights are not explicit the texts. We consider how the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and other EU legal acts may support a post-anthropocentric vision of Union law.