MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on a coordinated Union-level action plan to facilitate the transition to innovation without the use of animals in research, regulatory testing and education

8.9.2021 - (2021/2784((RSP))

to wind up the debate on the statement by the Commission
pursuant to Rule 132(2) of the Rules of Procedure

Zbigniew Kuźmiuk
on behalf of the ECR Group

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B9-0425/2021

B9‑0429/2021

European Parliament resolution on a coordinated Union-level action plan to facilitate the transition to innovation without the use of animals in research, regulatory testing and education

(2021/2784((RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to Articles 13 and 114 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

– having regard to Directive 2010/63/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2010 on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes[1],

– having regard to the Commission report of 5 February 2020 entitled ‘2019 report on the statistics on the use of animals for scientific purposes in the Member States of the European Union in 2015-2017’ (COM(2020)0016),

– having regard to Rule 132(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes stresses that the use of animals for such purposes should be considered only when other methods are unavailable;

B. whereas tests on humans are acceptable if they enable progress in a field of research; whereas in some cases researchers may choose to omit animal testing and go straight to observing the effects of technologies or substances being tested on humans;

C. whereas not all species of animals used in experiments are properly covered and protected by EU legislation;

D. whereas cases of abuse and serious mistreatment of animals in research laboratories still occur;

E. whereas, however, almost every breakthrough in medicine in recent decades has been made possible thanks to experiments on animals, and whereas animal experimentation has contributed to major advances in the treatment of diseases such as cancer, brain injury, childhood leukaemia, cystic fibrosis, multiple sclerosis, tuberculosis and others; whereas it has also been crucial in the development of pacemakers, heart valve substitutes, anaesthetics and other medical products and devices;

F. whereas a cessation of the use of animals for scientific purposes would result either in a significant slowdown in such scientific progress or in the lives of human volunteers being put at higher risk, in particular in experiments involving genetic manipulation or the administration of toxic substances;

G. whereas the use of laboratory animals seems crucial in the development and production of safe vaccines, as has recently been demonstrated by the global COVID-19 pandemic;

H. whereas many animals are appropriate research subjects thanks to their DNA patterns which are largely compatible with that of humans, and the fact that they have the same set of organs (mammals) and other biological similarities which make them susceptible to many of the same conditions and illnesses, including heart disease, cancer and diabetes;

I. whereas animal testing is strictly regulated and EU standards on laboratory animal housing and regular veterinary checks are among the highest in the world;

J. whereas the World Medical Association’s Declaration of Helsinki states that medical research involving human subjects must be based on adequate laboratory and, as appropriate, animal experimentation, among other conditions;

K. whereas in a survey by the US-based Pew Research Center, 89 % of scientists surveyed were in favour of animal testing for scientific purposes;

1. Notes that the existing legislation in the EU on the use of animals in research, testing and education provides a high level of protection of the rights of animals used for these purposes, yet needs to be better implemented and enforcement;

2. Calls on the Commission to evaluate, in cooperation with the competent authorities of the Member States, the legislation in force and its practical functioning and to ensure the full and harmonised implementation into national legal systems of provisions already adopted, in particular Directive 2010/63/EU;

3. Stresses that full implementation and subsequent evaluation of existing legislation should be a necessary stage prior to the development of new strategies and/or legislative acts in the future;

4. Stresses the importance of building a scheme of preferential funding for non-animal testing methods in EU innovation and research initiatives, with the aim of limiting the use of animals for scientific research where it is possible to do so without automatically increasing risks to human health and life;

5. Stresses that any new legislative initiative should contribute to better legal protection for animal species used for experiments, reduce the number of cases of abuse and mistreatment and provide for a well-functioning system of controls and penalties for offences in this area;

6. Stresses that, in the event that any new legislation is drawn up, priority must be given to the protection of human health and lives; believes that an appropriate ethical balance must be struck between the suffering of animals and the shared benefits both for humans and animals that result from advanced knowledge and rapid scientific progress;

7. Notes that any new legal restrictions on the use of animals in scientific research must guarantee a learning and adjustment period for structurally dependent industries, including the chemical, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries; notes that they must also be accompanied by an impact assessment analysing the effects of the new regulations on the proper functioning and economic stability of those areas of the free market;

8. Encourages the Commission to cooperate with Member States in a number of activities that could contribute to the goal of reducing reliance on animal testing, including educating, training and retraining scientists and technicians from both the private and public sectors in the use of non-animal testing methods;

9. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.

 

• [1] OJ L 276, 20.10.2010, p. 33.