Brussels, 26/11/2001 (Agence Europe) - In Brussels on Monday, the Consumer Council managed to reach qualified majority political agreement on the proposal to ban animal testing under the directive on the marketing of dangerous substances (amending Directive 76/769/ECC). This ban has already been put off on two occasions in the past due to lack of progress in alternative testing methods. The last remaining hiccough (the ban on marketing products tested on animals and whether or not a definite date should be set for banning all animal testing) was settled through a Presidency compromise. The agreement tires to strike a balance between human health and animal welfare, while abiding by World Trade Organisation rules. The text approved by the Council does not set a deadline for banning animal experiments, thereby opposing the European Parliament's demands (for the ban to start in 2005), but rather foresees that any progress in terms of developing non-animal testing for cosmetics agreements be made compulsory and that where substitute methods exist, they must be given priority. Substitute methods should provide consumers with cosmetics that are equally safe to use as those tested on animals that they are designed to replace. The Commission will have eighteen months to draw up a list of substitution methods (in Annex IX to the directive) that have been scientifically validated, accepted and published by the OECD.
To reassure delegations that objected to the absence of a deadline for the full ban on animal testing, the Commission confirmed in a declaration in the Council's minutes that it intends to revise Directive 86/609/ECC on the protection of animals used for experiments or for other scientific purposes. This declaration satisfied Finland, which therefore agreed to lift its objection, but not Denmark or Austria (which voted against). Germany and the Netherlands abstained.
The acting President of the Council, Charles Picqué, noted that in these conditions, a qualified majority agreed with the compromise and therefore agreement was possible. After the finishing touches have been applied to the text, the Council common position will be adopted without debate at a future meeting and can then be transmitted to the European Parliament for its second reading.