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WRITTEN QUESTION E-1825/02
by Ian Hudghton (Verts/ALE) to the Commission
(27 June 2002)
Subject: Biomedical primate research
The Commission has stated that the use of non-human primates in research
is a "sensitive matter" and is aware of the high level of public concern
about the use of these animals in laboratory research, in particular at
the Biomedical Primate Research Centre in Rijswijk, Netherlands.
The Dutch Government Minister for
Education, Culture and Science has admitted that "there is no longer any
reason to perform experiments on chimpanzees in the Netherlands" and that
they are "putting an end to those experiments".
In light of the above, and in view of
the Commission's current review of Directive 86/609/EEC(1) concerning the
use of non-human primates in research, does the Commission agree that the
BPRC's decision to infect six chimpanzees at the Rijswijk Centre with the
Hepatitis C virus later this year should be halted until its review of the
Directive has been concluded?
Answer given by Mr Busquin on behalf of the Commission
(25 July 2002)
Council Directive 86/609/EEC of 24 November 1986 on the approximation of
laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States
regarding the protection of animals used for experimental and other
scientific purposes states in Article 6 that: "Each Member State shall
designate the authority or authorities responsible for verifying that the
provisions of the Directive are properly carried out". Article 12 states
that "Where it is planned to subject an animal to an experiment in which
it will, or may, experience severe pain which is likely to be prolonged,
that experiment must be specifically declared and justified to, or
specifically authorised by, the authority".
Thus the decision whether to authorise
the experiment on non-human primates at the Rijswijk Centre with the
Hepatitis C virus is the responsibility of the competent authorities in
the Netherlands.
As far as the Commission has been
informed, the decision whether or not to continue the research activities
at the BPRC on the development of an Hepatitis C vaccine which will
involve the infection of six chimpanzees is still under discussion by the
authorities in the Netherlands. |
