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Commission threatens to fine Ireland
The European Commission has sent a second written warning to Ireland asking them to update their legislation to bring it into compliance with Directive 86/609 on the approximation of laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States regarding the protection of animals used for experimental and other scientific purposes. Ireland now has two months to comply with the 2001 ruling from the European Court of Justice that found its legislation on animal research to be insufficient. If not, the Commission could ask the court to impose a daily fine on the Irish government. The Commission spokesperson, Pia Ahrenkilde, declined to speculate about the size of the possible fine, which would have to be decided at the final stages of any court proceedings, saying "It depends on many factors, such as the seriousness of the damage caused and the country's gross domestic product (GDP)."
It is unusual for any action by the Commission for non-compliance to reach the stage of a fine, although in 2000 Greece ended up paying in excess of 5 million Euros for a breach of European environmental rules. No previous case for failing to comply with the directive on animal experimentation has reached the second written warning stage before.
The Commission wants Ireland to change its definition of an animal experiment, which is currently the same as that used in legislation dating back to 1876. In addition, it wants Ireland to increase penalties for those who break the law on animal experimentation.