MEPs from the EP Committees on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI), on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) and on Petitions (PETI) debate animal testing in cosmetics with the initiators of a citizen’s initiative to secure better animal welfare and environmental protection, in a public hearing. The European Citizens’ Initiative on “Save Cruelty Free Cosmetics”, with nearly 1.5 million signature collected in one year, wants the EU to strengthen its animal testing ban

statement

meeting

Committee on Environment, Climate and Food Safety

Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

animal welfare (T)

Committee on Petitions

European Citizens’ Initiative - "Save Cruelty Free Cosmetics - Commit to a Europe without animal testing": extracts from the event and statements - ENVI, AGRI and PETI Committees

Atmosphere during the public hearing on European Citizens&rsquo; Initiative &lsquo;SAVE CRUELTY-FREE COSMETICS &ndash; COMMIT TO A EUROPE WITHOUT ANIMAL TESTING&rsquo;, 15 shots

SOUNDBITE (English), Maria SPYRAKI (EPP, EL), On behalf of the ENVI Chair, Important to say that we co-organised with the Agriculture Committee and also with Petition committee this public hearing in order to give the floor to the people. There is more than 1 million people who co-signed this petition and it is important to explain how the situation on banning animal testing is going. Animal testing are essential in a way, but at the same time, we have to facilitate ECHA (European Chemicals Agency) in order to concentrate data and to replace as fast as possible all the animal testing in place.

SOUNDBITE (English), Lu&#237;sa Ferreira Bastos , Eurogroup for Animals, Co-organizer of the European Citizens Initiative, I believe that citizens thought that animal testing for cosmetics had been banned in the EU for ten years now. But the interpretation of of different legislations from the European Commission and EU agencies has led to continued use of animals for testing cosmetics ingredients.

SOUNDBITE (English), Lu&iacute;sa Ferreira Bastos , Eurogroup for Animals, Co-organizer of the European Citizens Initiative, There is still a big mistrust in animal free innovation despite the huge developments that we have seen since the decision to ban animal testing for cosmetics. And this is partially due to the lack of policies to allow for a transition to an animal science and testing.

SOUNDBITE (English), Lu&iacute;sa Ferreira Bastos , Eurogroup for Animals, Co-organizer of the European Citizens Initiative, There are three different objectives in this ECI. The first has to do with cosmetics and we ask for an implementation of the ban that actually means that no animals are used to test the safety of cosmetic ingredients. The second one is to to start looking at safety testing in another way. And when new requirements for testings come along, that they are based on an animal testing and no new animal tests are added to the requirements that we have now in legislation to test the safety of chemicals. And the third one is a more long term one, because we want a roadmap established as soon as possible to allow for the implementation of a strategy that can move us step by step towards a transition towards an animal science.

SOUNDBITE (English), Norbert LINS (EPP, DE), AGRI Chair, So this is common practice in the European Parliament and the committees involved when it comes to a citizens initiative that they are organising a hearing jointly.

SOUNDBITE (English), Norbert LINS (EPP, DE), AGRI Chair, It's good to have this hearing before the Commission comes out with a proposal. 