Petras Auštrevičius (ALDE). – Madam President, calling on a global ban on animal testing for the cosmetics industry by 2023 is a very important step in the ongoing battle which aims to put an end to cruel practices against animals. It is regrettable that around 80% of the world’s countries still allow, and use, testing on animals and sell products which have been tested on them.

I firmly support the European Union’s commitment to lead by example through the landmark EU ban on animal testing which was implemented in 2013, and its call for similar legislation worldwide. On this occasion I salute my colleagues, who have been campaigning for this issue for many, many decades. This is an excellent example of a successful policy by European politicians. The EU ban has proved to be extremely successful. We have developed alternative testing methods for cosmetics and still remain the leader in cosmetics exports. Therefore, I am convinced that other countries can benefit from that too. Let’s end cruelty against animals together.