This comprehensive approach encompasses a wide range of legislative domains, including industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and food additives, and outlines over 30 key recommendations to facilitate the transition to alternative testing methods. The European Union has a long-standing policy of replacing, reducing and refining animal testing (3Rs). Article 13 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union recognises the need to protect animals as sentient beings. Directive 2010/63/EU1 sets the goal of phasing out animal use for research and for regulatory purposes in the EU, as soon as scientifically possible. Many pieces of chemical legislation contain a requirement to use animal testing only as a last resort. The European Commission is preparing a “Roadmap Towards Phasing Out Animal Testing for Chemical Safety Assessments”. This will serve as a guiding plan for accelerating the path towards replacing, reducing and refining animal testing for the safety assessments of chemicals. The roadmap was announced in Communication C(2023)5041, which was published as a response to the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) “Save cruelty-free cosmetics – Commit to a Europe without animal testing”. In the communication, the Commission expressed its commitment to develop a roadmap that “will outline milestones and specific actions, to be implemented in the short to longer term, to reduce animal testing and that would be pre-requisites for a transition towards an animal-free regulatory system”. This response announces further elements that will accompany the roadmap and help reach its goals. Phasing out animal testing will require substantial time. For instance, there are currently no available approaches that are sufficient for developing and validating methods. As a result, the roadmap foresees an implementation phase for the years to come.
On 1 June 2026, the European Commission adopted the Roadmap towards phasing out animal testing for chemical safety assessments.
This comprehensive approach encompasses a wide range of legislative domains, including industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and food additives, and outlines over 30 key recommendations to facilitate the transition to alternative testing methods. The European Union has a long-standing policy of replacing, reducing and refining animal testing (3Rs). Article 13 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union recognises the need to protect animals as sentient beings. Directive 2010/63/EU1 sets the goal of phasing out animal use for research and for regulatory purposes in the EU, as soon as scientifically possible. Many pieces of chemical legislation contain a requirement to use animal testing only as a last resort. The European Commission is preparing a “Roadmap Towards Phasing Out Animal Testing for Chemical Safety Assessments”. This will serve as a guiding plan for accelerating the path towards replacing, reducing and refining animal testing for the safety assessments of chemicals. The roadmap was announced in Communication C(2023)5041, which was published as a response to the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) “Save cruelty-free cosmetics – Commit to a Europe without animal testing”. In the communication, the Commission expressed its commitment to develop a roadmap that “will outline milestones and specific actions, to be implemented in the short to longer term, to reduce animal testing and that would be pre-requisites for a transition towards an animal-free regulatory system”. This response announces further elements that will accompany the roadmap and help reach its goals. Phasing out animal testing will require substantial time. For instance, there are currently no available approaches that are sufficient for developing and validating methods. As a result, the roadmap foresees an implementation phase for the years to come.
Links:
Roadmap towards phasing out animal testing
ZoDoende 2024 Jaaroverzicht dierproeven en proefdieren
Gegevens