Press Release - 21.03.

2013

No loopholes in EU ban on animal-tested cosmetics, says the Petitions Committee

The European Parliament Petitions Committee heard on Wednesday a petition filed by animal welfare organizations from 22 EU countries to tighten up controls on animal testing. The petitioners called on EU institutions to close any remaining loopholes in the current ban on animal-tested cosmetics. A complete EU ban on the sale of cosmetics developed through animal testing took effect last week. However, the British citizen Michele Thew, on behalf of the European Coalition to End Animal Experimentation (ECEAE), urged Parliament to ensure tighter controls over non-EU products tested on animals. "We want our companies to stop doing tests on animals for third countries such as China," said Thew in a Petitions Committee hearing on Wednesday. No loopholes The petitioner stressed that the current EU legislation only bans the testing of chemical substances that are present exclusively in cosmetics. This leads to the existence of "loopholes", that would allow laboratories to pursue animal tests of substances present in products other than cosmetics. Thew considers that the EU needs to play an active role in this issue. Signatures To support this claim, the European Coalition to End Animal Experimentation, which comprises 24 animal welfare organizations from 22 EU countries, presented to the Petitions Committee a total of 220,000 signatures. Keith Taylor (Greens/EFA, UK) called on the Commission to find ways to prevent any gaps in the EU legislation. "No animal has to suffer so that we have a new lipstick or another facial cream," said Taylor. The British MEP also requested the European Commission to find new ways to encourage nonEU countries to ban animal testing. Committee on Petitions Profile of Petitions Committee Chair, Erminia Mazzoni (EPP, IT) More information on the petitions (point 15)