Home » Bulletin 2003
Revision of Directive 86/609 gets underway
At the end of June, the European Commission (Directorate-General Environment) called the first meeting of a Technical Expert Working Group to provide scientific and technical advice on the revision of Directive 86/609, which determines how Member States regulate the use of animals in experiments. The working group was composed of experts nominated by the Member States, the Accession Countries which are due to join the EU next year, and a number of non-governmental organisations (from science, academia, industry and animal welfare organisations).
The task of the working group was to provide advice on the problems with the current directive and identify potential solutions, providing the arguments in favour of and against each potential solution. The objective of the exercise, as defined by the Commission, was to improve laboratory animal welfare in a way which was applicable throughout the EU, was feasible and practical (given the limitations on resources and the need to limit bureaucracy) and which would permit current, successful regulatory practices to continue.
The Commission officials had provided a 'Thought Starter' document, which listed the potential regulatory issues that had been suggested by Member States, NGOs and the European Parliament's own-initiative report. This provided a reasonably comprehensive list of issues for the group to address during their first meeting, which lasted a day and a half. Nevertheless, the working group was encouraged to identify further problems and issues to consider.
To facilitate the work of the group, the members were divided into four subgroups, each asked to address a specific set of topics. The Commission officials admitted that dividing the list of topics amongst the four sub-groups was not simple, as there was considerable overlap and inter-dependency between them. However, the work of each sub-group would be transparent to the others and any member of the working group could comment on the work of any sub-group.
The Commission intends that there should only be two meetings of the working group, with the majority of the work being done over the Internet between the two. The second and final working group meeting will be held in October or November 2003. Following this, Directorate-General Environment will consider the advice and produce a first draft proposal for new legislation to replace 86/609. This will be subject to a broad stakeholder consultation in spring 2004, to seek the views of all stake-holders, including the organisations which were not invited to nominate members for the working group. Following this, the Commission will produce its formal proposal for a new legislation, which will then be sent to the European Parliament and the Council for adoption under the co-decision procedure.
An important factor in this timing is the European election to be held in June 2004 at which the Accession Countries will become members of the EU. Since the European Parliament will clearly be quite different after these elections, they have asked the Commission not to present them with any proposed new legislation after October of this year. Quite sensibly, they do not want the first stages of legislation conducted by one Parliament and then finished off by a quite different Parliament. Thus, the Parliament's first reading of the new Directive may be on the agenda some time after July 2004.
Non-Governmental organisations invited to nominate experts
European Biomedical Research Association
European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industry Associations
Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations
European Chemical Industry Council
European Science Federation
Eurogroup for Animal Welfare
European Coalition to End Animal Experiments
European Society of Laboratory Animal Veterinarians
International Federation for Animal Health
EuropaBio
European Federation for Primatology
Federation of European Laboratory Animal Breeders
European Federation of Animal Technologists
International Society for Animal Ethology