Source: European Parliament
In reference to the second question, the directive on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes[1] regulates the use of animals for scientific purposes in the territory of the Union.
Projects using live animals in the EU, irrespective of the source of funding, can only be authorised when in compliance with the directive. However, the directive does not and cannot regulate activities carried out outside of the territory of the Union.
In response to the two other questions, since the previous Research & Innovation Framework Programme, Horizon 2020[2], the EU has included a rule in the regulation for these funding instruments to tackle what it calls ‘ethics dumping’.
This is the export of practices that do not meet EU ethics standards and legal frameworks and would not be acceptable in the EU. Under the current setting as regards animal protection, this concretely means that the standards imposed by the directive are also valid for research involving animals conducted outside the EU.
When submitting a proposal for Horizon Europe[3], applicants must sign a declaration stating that any activities conducted outside the EU would be acceptable in at least one EU Member State.
Applicants must confirm and explain this in an Ethics declaration to the application, which is systematically reviewed during the Ethics Screening as part of the proposal evaluation.
This process can lead to more in-depth Ethics Assessments, Reviews and Checks by ethics experts, both before the funding decision and in the course of the project implementation.
- [1] 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, OJ L 276, 20.10.2010, p. 33-79.
- [2] https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-2020_en
- [3] https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe_en