EP Briefing 2002-06-10: Move to ban animal testing for cosmetics (retabling an amendment - codecision)

Strasbourg, 05 June 2002

Dagmar ROTH-BEHRENDT (PES, D) for the Environment Committee will be retabling an amendment from first reading but rejected by Council when reaching its common position on a Commission proposal to update legislation on cosmetics.

This seeks to impose a ban on the testing of animals for products used in the composition of perfumes and other scents as from 31 December 2004. Council prefers a retention of the existing marketing ban and working through international organisations such as the OECD in recognition of the ease with which international companies can move laboratories outside the EU.

This should be achieved through an agreement being reached on alternative methods of testing says Council but MEPs are growing impatient with the industry to come up with fool-proof alternatives and argue that setting a deadline would concentrate minds and force, in the interim, companies to take the question seriously. Further pressure will be put on industry through the mandatory labelling of perfumes and lipsticks using ingredients tested on animals, MEPs argue.

The committee also wants to see details of any animal testing fully described on the label. Another amendment being tabled seeks to impose this.

Another concern is the use of ingredients that could pose a health hazard and here MEPs are amending the legislation so that any substances clearly shown to be safe can be used whereas Council would prefer the less onerous another approach of banning only substances proved to pose a risk. Other technical amendments designed to limit the use of substances that can cause allergies are also being proposed.

Dagmar ROTH-BEHRENDT (PES, D)
Report on the Council common position for adopting a European Parliament and Council directive amending Council Directive 76/768/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to cosmetic products
(15073/1/01 - C5-0072/2002 - 2000/0077(COD))
Doc.: A5-0180/2002 [may not be available yet]

Procedure: Codecision procedure (2nd reading)
Debate: 11.06.200

European Parliament Briefing 2002-06-10

http://www.europarl.eu.int/home/default _en.htm