Protection of animals used for scientific purposes

The Commission presented a report on the exercise of the power to adopt delegated acts conferred on the Commission pursuant to Directive 2010/63/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2010 on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes.

Directive 2010/63/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes regulates the care and use of animals for scientific purposes. It empowers the Commission to adopt delegated acts to adapt the Annexes I and III to VIII (with the exception of provisions of Sections I and II of Annex VIII) to scientific and technical progress:

• list of animals requiring these specifically bred for use in procedures;
• requirements for establishments and for the care and accommodation of animals;
• methods of killing animals;
• minimum requirements for education and training of staff;
• obligatory information to be included in a project application;
• duties and tasks of the Union Reference Laboratory established for the coordination of validation of alternative methods at Union level;
• severity classification of procedures [examples of different types of procedures assigned to each of the severity categories.

The power to adopt delegated acts was conferred on the Commission for a period of 8 years beginning on 9 November 2010 and the Commission is required to prepare a report in respect of the delegation of power, at the latest 12 months before the end of the eight-year period. The delegation of power shall be automatically extended for periods of an identical duration, unless the European Parliament or the Council revokes it.

The Commission has, over the past seven years, not exercised the delegated powers conferred to it under Directive 2010/63/EU. Until now, however, no sufficient scientific information has become available to warrant such an update of the relevant Annexes. In addition, the Directive took longer than was foreseen until its transposition in all Member State legislation was completed. There is only limited experience on the provisions contained in the Annexes of the Directive. 

However, the Commission considers that as research continues to deliver new knowledge on the welfare needs of the species used, and as new investigation techniques and tools become available, the Commission will be required to use its delegated powers to ensure the Directive is adapted to scientific and technical progress.