One Voice : France attempts to block an EU ban on cosmetics tests on animals

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France attempts to block an EU ban on cosmetics tests on animals
and on the sale of animal-tested cosmetic products.
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In a move to block a ban on animal testing for cosmetics, France has instigated a legal action against the European Parliament and the European Council. France is supporting its action with the claim that article 1 point 2 of Directive 2003/15/CE is too imprecise. Rather than asking for this point to be revised, France has asked that it be annulled, which would empty the Directive of all substance.
The reasoning behind France's position was made clear by the minister delegate for foreign trade, Mr François Loos, in March 2003. He described the European Parliament's decision as "stupid", claiming that the new Directive would harm competition. France was considering filing a complaint with the World Trade Organisation.
One Voice points out that this action goes against French public opinion, with 64% of the population opposed to animal experimentation, 60% in favour of a ban on cosmetic testing on animals, and 84% agreeing that all animal experimentation should be banned when it causes the animal to suffer (IPSOS/One Voice poll – February 2003 – Representative sample of 1,000 people).
While the French clearly express their opposition to animal experimentation and the suffering it causes, the French government quotes the need to inform public opinion of the utility of such tests.
In the case of cosmetics, the sole justification is that of unhindered competition. It would seem that France considers the market economy to be more important than the 35,000-plus animals that suffer and die each year in European laboratories.
One Voice believes that with profits of €5.9 billion in 2002, the French cosmetics industry is well able to finance and carry out, with government support, research into in vitro tests, thereby enabling it to respect the Directive's 2009 deadline and to satisfy consumers' demands.
Muriel Arnal, Chairwoman of One Voice, said that, "We have struggled for 13 years to obtain legislation that will make it illegal for animals to suffer in laboratories for such non-essential products as perfume and lipstick. Now we face another wait of at least six years for this legislation to be introduced. The cosmetics firms that continue to torture animals have ample time to adapt their methods and adopt ethics that reflect French and European public opinion. We are appalled by the French government's action."

Press Release - August 2003

Translation : Sandra Petch