After months of deliberation, the European Commission has agreed to accelerate the phasing out of animal testing, but stopped short of a complete ban — a move that drawing praise from university and industry groups but outrage from animal rights activists.
The decision was made in response to a citizen’s initiative, which sought to strengthen an existing ban on animal testing in cosmetics that has been in effect for about a decade. The initiative also urged the European Union to avoid further animal testing requirements for chemicals and commit to legislation for creating a plan to phase out all animal testing before the end of the current legislative term.
The effort, which drew support from approximately 1.2 million citizens across the European Union, has caused alarm due to an insistence on phasing out animal testing in biomedical research. Some members of the European Parliament and trade groups representing universities and the pharmaceutical industry argued the initiative went too far too quickly because alternatives, in some instances, are lacking.