EU: Commission acts to accelerate phasing out of animal testing in response to a European Citizens' Initiative

On 25 July 2023, the European Commission responded to the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) "Save Cruelty-free Cosmetics - Commit to a Europe without Animal Testing". The response provides a comprehensive overview of the EU's legislative and policy framework relevant to the use of animals for testing purposes and suggests additional actions to further reduce animal testing. In particular, the EU Commission pledges to work together with all relevant parties on a roadmap towards chemical safety assessments with the ultimate aim to move to an animal-free regulatory system under chemicals legislation such as REACH. The Commission is also proposing to initiate a series of actions to accelerate the reduction of animal testing in research, education and training through various measures. Furthermore, the Commission states that it will continue to strongly support the development of alternative approaches with appropriate funding.