"The State Budget Law for 2021 provided for the transfer to local government this year of seven million Euros for investment in official collection centres and in supporting the improvement of the facilities of legally constituted animal associations. The implementation of these incentives would be defined by order of the members of the Government," states the text of the order.

The seven million Euros will be transferred to the Institute of Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF), which will then have 30 days to publish on its website and in the Official Gazette "the rules, procedures and deadlines for applications for funding".

The dispatch, signed by the Minister of Finance, the Minister of the Environment and the Minister of Public Administration, determines that municipalities, municipalities in conjunction with "legally constituted" animal associations, groups of municipalities, associations of municipalities "with specific purposes" and inter-municipal entities can apply for these funds.

As part of the debate on this year's State Budget, the Assembly of the Republic approved, without any votes against, a proposal by the PAN that provides for the transfer of 10 million Euros to local government to support kennels and sterilisation of animals in 2021.

Of these 10 million, seven million Euros are "for investment in official collection centres and support for improving the facilities of legally constituted animal associations," according to the proposal approved at the time by the deputies.

On the other hand, 1.8 million Euros are for improving the provision of veterinary care services for animals held by needy families and animal associations, through cooperation with university veterinary hospitals.

According to the PAN proposal, there is also 1.2 million Euros that will be distributed; one million Euros to support the official animal collection centres in sterilisation efforts, 100 thousand Euros to raise awareness of the benefits of sterilisation and 100 thousand Euros to strengthen the electronic registration of pets.

The support for sterilisation and the construction and expansion of municipal kennels are intended to contribute to the implementation of the law that prohibits the slaughter of animals in municipal kennels.

In force since 23 September 2016, the law that approves measures for the creation of a network of official animal collection centres and establishes a ban on the slaughter of stray animals as a way to control the population.