EU: Roundtable report on phasing out animal testing for chemical safety assessments

A workshop report published in the journal ALTEX summarises the key outcomes of a roundtable held in June 2024 to support the transition away from animal testing in chemical safety assessments. In response to the European Citizens’ Initiative “Save Cruelty-Free Cosmetics – Commit to a Europe Without Animal Testing,” the European Commission has committed to developing a roadmap to phase out the use of animals in chemical safety testing. To support this effort, five animal protection NGOs convened a roundtable of experts from regulatory bodies, industry, academia, and civil society. The event focused on outlining key elements and institutional frameworks needed for the roadmap, while also examining concrete measures to advance a regulatory system that moves away from animal testing. Topics discussed included revising existing chemicals legislation, accelerating the uptake and regulatory acceptance of non-animal methods, establishing EU-level databases to improve data sharing, strengthening collaboration and communication and building expertise in non-animal science.