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Draft Directive may be published early in 2008
After many false alarms and a wait of several years, the European Commission has announced that the proposal to revise Directive 86/609 is currently in inter-service consultation. This means that the final proposal from DG Environment has been sent to all the other DGs for their views before the text is adopted by the Commission and sent to the European Parliament and the Council. The other Commission services have until 7 December to comment on the text.
After this date, DG Environment will consider the comments and suggested amendments, and undertake discussions with the Commission services who proposed them. This process will take a minimum of three weeks. If changes are substantial, another inter-service consultation will take place. This will last three weeks, after which the text will need to be translated into all Community languages (a minimum of four weeks).
Only at this stage will it be sent to the College of Commissioners for adoption as a formal proposal for legislation, after which it will be made public few days later. The proposal will follow the co-decision procedure, and is likely to be debated in the Parliament and the Council for at least another year, and possibly considerably longer.
“Although EBRA has been heavily involved in the discussions leading up to the production of the draft proposal by DG Environment, “said EBRA Director Mark Matfield, “ we are very pleased that at long last the proposal should be made public and that scientists and clinicians will have a real opportunity to join in the debate. It’s important that the voice of the scientific community is heard loud and strong in support of the need to continue animal research in order to find cures and treatments for the many serious diseases that still beset us today. We want to make sure that the proposed Directive provides for effective regulation, but does not create unnecessary restrictions, delays or bureaucracy.”