ABSTRACT 

This article examines the growing recognition of animal welfare as a relevant legal value within the European legal system and its impact on the balance with freedom of religion, particularly in relation to ritual slaughter. Starting from a historical and philosophical reconstruction of the relationship between humans and animals, the analysis focuses on the European Union legal framework and on the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights, with specific reference to the Belgian case on the obligation of reversible stunning. Through a comparative analysis with the legal systems of the United States, Israel, and India, the article shows how animal welfare is increasingly considered an expression of European “public morality”, capable of justifying proportionate limitations on freedom of religion. The study highlights a specific European model based on a dynamic balance between fundamental rights, social values, and the protection of animals as sentient beings.