We are pleased with news that the European Union has agreed to improve funding levels for research  (€4 billion to Horizon Europe), health (€3.4 billion to EU4Health) and education and training (€2.2 billion to Erasmus+) as part of its next long-term budget, the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF 2021-2027).

We would however like to see much more investment focused on humane and human-relevant science to help meet health and environmental challenges.  

In an announcement this week, the EU revealed it has reached an agreement on future EU financing, including for the Green Deal and Next Generation EU, the EU recovery package to help build a post-COVID-19 Europe that is greener, more digital, more resilient and better fit for current and future challenges.

The final agreement on the MFF Regulation and the Interinstitutional Agreement endorsed on 10 November must now be formally adopted by the European Parliament and the Council respectively.

At Cruelty Free Europe we believe spending must prioritise humane and human-relevant science as part of an effective strategy to end cruel and unreliable animal testing and better protect people and planet.

Dr Katy Taylor, our Director of Science and Regulatory Affairs, says: “The coronavirus pandemic has presented an opportunity to build a more sustainable Europe, including making the EU a global powerhouse for humane and human-relevant science.

“Ten years since the EU adopted Directive 2010/63/EU, its law on animals used in science and research, the numbers of animals used in research in European laboratories remains disturbingly high. Yet in this time we have seen significant scientific progress and breakthroughs in more humane and human-relevant non-animal testing methods.

“Continuing to default to unreliable, expensive and outdated animal experiments will no help the EU meet the health and environmental challenges that are confronting us.”