Call for delay to ban on animal-tested cosmetics

Date: 30/03/2000

By Renée Cordes

THE European Commission will next week propose delaying an impending ban on selling cosmetics tested on animals amid concerns that the move would contravene international trade rules.

The planned restrictions were originally due to enter into force in 1998, but member states agreed to postpone them for two years to give industry a chance to find non-animal alternatives. In a proposal set to be adopted by the full Commission next Wednesday (5 April), the EU executive will argue that the measures should be delayed even further to avert a potentially explosive dispute with the Union's trading partners.

"Our proposal will be an attempt to solve the problem of how to protect animal welfare on the one hand and respect our World Trade Organisation obligations on the other," said a Commission official this week. "A marketing ban could pose problems and we think it is appropriate to postpone it."

It remains unclear, however, how long the planned marketing ban would be postponed for or whether it would be scrapped altogether. The proposal will also call for the gradual phasing-out of animal tests on finished products.

Animal welfare groups have repeatedly urged the EU executive not to delay the marketing ban again, arguing that it is vital to prevent cosmetic firms from conducting tests on animals.

But cosmetic industry representatives insist the measure should be abandoned and it should be left up to companies to continue their search for alternative test methods.

"If there is a marketing ban we would face trade and safety problems in Europe," said Robert Vanhove, secretary-general of European cosmetics industry association Colipa.

The European Commission is to propose delaying an impending ban on selling cosmetics tested on animals amid concerns that the move would contravene international trade rules.