The European Parliament’s Environment Committee called on Brussels to launch a diplomatic drive for a worldwide ban on the animal testing of cosmetics before 2023.
Within the EU, the sale of all animal-tested cosmetics has been banned since 2013.
Meeting on February 20, the Environment Committee MEPs said the ban has not prevented the EU cosmetics industry from thriving and providing around two million jobs.
However, around 80% of countries worldwide still allow animal testing and the marketing of cosmetics tested on animals.
In a resolution approved unanimously (63 votes, with 1 abstention) by the Environment Committee, MEPs also noted that some cosmetics are tested on animals outside the EU before being re-tested in the EU using alternative methods and placed on the EU market.
The lack of reliable animal testing data on cosmetics imported into the EU also remains a serious issue, said the MEPs. They called on the EU to ensure that no product placed on its market has been tested on animals in a third country.
The resolution will now be put to a vote at the European Parliament’s March plenary session in Strasbourg.
Speaking after the February 20 vote, the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Group’s environment spokeswoman Julie Girling MEP said: “Animal testing for cosmetics has no place in today’s society. There needs to be a global effort to end animal testing worldwide and such a ban could, for example, be concluded under the UN Framework.”
