WRITTEN QUESTION E-2625/00 by Esko Seppänen (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. The OECD and animal testing of cosmetics.
Date: 2000-08-01
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: animal experimentation, common commercial policy, cosmetic product

C 89 E/214

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.3.2001

(2001/C 89 E/241)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2625/00

by Esko Sepp(cid:228)nen (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(1 August 2000)

Subject: The OECD and animal testing of cosmetics

In the Commission(cid:146)s view, by what OECD agreements is the EU bound when it comes to introducing a
ban on animal testing of cosmetics and marketing of products which have been tested on animals?

(2001/C 89 E/242)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2626/00

by Esko Sepp(cid:228)nen (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(1 August 2000)

Subject: The WTO and animal testing of cosmetics

What negotiating strategy does the EU intend to adopt in any WTO negotiations on banning animal
testing of cosmetics? What is the Commission(cid:146)s position on the possibility of banning the marketing
within the EU of products which have been tested on animals?

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-2625/00 and E-2626/00
given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(6 October 2000)

The Organisation for economic cooperation and development (OECD) toxicity test guidelines detail test
methods that are internationally accepted and recommended to be used to ensure the safety of all
industrial chemicals (such as pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, dangerous substances, and cosmetic ingre-
dients). Their aim is to avoid the multiplication of different test methods in countries and then the
duplication of tests. The Community has the obligation to accept the results of tests done with animals in
other third countries because of the mutual acceptance of data agreement. In other words, animal testing
if someone wants to put on the
on cosmetic ingredients in the Community can be banned, but
Community market some cosmetic products containing ingredients that they have tested on animals in a
third country using adopted OECD guidelines and good laboratory practice to determine their intrinsic
properties, the Community should accept those results. A ban on the marketing of products which have
been tested on animals would imply the repetition of tests using alternative methods, and this would set
up a barrier to trade and could impact upon any favourable position taken upon the acceptability of
European in vitro data.

The OECD has recently started to negotiate the adoption of guidelines on in vitro methods validated by the
Community. The Commission will therefore continue to work with the OECD and will endeavour to gain
OECD-wide regulatory acceptance of alternative methods to animal testing already validated at Community
level. The goal will be to implement such methods through the adoption of OECD guidelines in order to
ensure a real benefit to animal welfare on a more global level.

The Commission recognises the value of developing multilateral agreements on standards for animal
welfare. Those standards, based on scientific advice, would give the best guarantee that animal welfare
measures are not misused for protectionist purposes.

Concerning the possibility of banning the marketing within the Community of products which have been
tested on animals (cid:129) whether such products are manufactured in the Community or imported from third
countries (cid:129) the Commission considers that a ban on imports on the grounds that they have been tested
on animals may not be compliant with World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules (Articles III and XX of
General agreement on tariffs and trade (GATT) 1994 and Article 2 of the technical barriers to trade (TBT)