Photo © Vit Kovalcik – Fotolia
(BRUSSELS) – The EU should launch a diplomatic drive for a global ban on testing cosmetics on animals before 2023, MEPs urged Thursday. The sale of all animal-tested cosmetics has been banned within the EU since 2013.
In a non-binding resolution, the MEPs pointed out that the EU ban has not prevented Europe’s cosmetics industry from thriving and providing around two million jobs.
However, around 80% of countries worldwide still allow animal-testing and the marketing of cosmetics tested on animals.
The Parliament also noted that there are loopholes in the EU system, as some cosmetics are tested on animals outside the EU before being re-tested in the EU using alternative methods and placed on the EU market.
They also noted that most ingredients in cosmetic products are also used in many other products, such as pharmaceuticals, detergents or foods, and may therefore have been tested on animals under different laws.
The lack of reliable data on cosmetics tested on animals and then imported into the EU also remains a serious issue, they say. The EU should also make sure that no product placed on its market has been tested on animals in a non-EU country, they add.
To work towards a global ban on both animal testing for cosmetics and on the trade in cosmetic ingredients tested on animals, MEPs call on EU leaders to use their diplomatic networks to build a coalition and to launch an international convention within the UN framework. The ban should be in place before 2023, they say.
They also want to make sure that the EU ban is not weakened, whether in trade negotiations or by World Trade Organisation rules.
According to a Eurobarometer survey in March 2016, 89% of EU citizens agree that the EU should do more to promote a greater awareness of the importance of animal welfare internationally. 90% of EU citizens agree that it is important to establish high animal welfare standards that are recognised across the world.
Further information, European Parliament
Adopted text will be available here (click on 03.05.2018)
