Answer given by Mr Navracsics on behalf of the Commission
22.5.2017
Between 2012 and 2016, approximately EUR 36 million was directly spent for the operation of the European Union Reference Laboratory for alternatives to animal testing (EURL ECVAM), hosted by the Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC).
In 2017, the budget of EURL ECVAM is approximately EUR 6.5 million. The budget for 2018 will be decided in the coming months, following the approved JRC budget within the adopted EU 2018 Budget. The Commission believes that the current EURL ECVAM budget is sufficient for its priorities.
It must be noted that during the last decade, Commission funding to research into the development of alternative methods through successive Commission Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation, including the current Horizon 2020, has remained stable and very significant.
Article 47(1) of Directive 2010/63/EU[1] requires Member States to contribute to the development and validation of alternative approaches. However, it does not detail the nature or the extent of this contribution. To facilitate such investment, in 2013 the JRC established the European Union Network of Laboratories for the Validation of Alternative Methods (EU-NETVAL) comprising 38 member facilities from across Europe including EURL ECVAM's own laboratory facility.
It is hoped that validation activities by EU-NETVAL members are supported by their respective Member States as part of their contribution to the development and validation of alternative approaches. There is no obligation to provide information on contributions made under Article 47. However, some Member States publish voluntary reports[2].