News Details

On 1 June 2026, the European Commission adopted its Roadmap towards Phasing Out Animal Testing for Chemical Safety Assessments. The roadmap sets out a long-term strategy for replacing animal testing across EU legislation, all the while maintaining a high level of protection for human health and the environment. It includes 22 actions, over 30 recommendations, and a governance framework to support the development, validation and regulatory uptake of non-animal methods.

Three Pillars for the Transition

The roadmap covers 15 legislative domains, including industrial chemicals, biocides, plant protection products, pharmaceuticals, food and feed additives, and medical devices. The Commission intends to gradually replace animal testing for chemical safety assessments by taking action under three pillars: making the transition to non-animal methods, maintaining Europe's leadership in research and innovation, and strengthening cooperation between regulators, industry, academia and other stakeholders.

Planned measures include implementing more than 30 recommendations for human health and environmental assessments, developing a new scientific framework for non-animal safety assessments, increasing the use of artificial intelligence, supporting the validation and standardisation of alternative methods, and creating mechanisms to identify regulatory needs across sectors.

ECHA and Other Agencies to Support Implementation

To support implementation of the roadmap, ECHA has announced the establishment of a Collaborative Platform on Alternatives to Animal Testing. According to the Agency, the platform will focus on developing and regulating the use of non-animal approaches in chemical safety assessments, including activities related to validation, standardisation and regulatory use. It will bring together regulators, industry, academia and civil society to exchange knowledge and address the scientific and technical challenges associated with alternative methods. The first meeting of the platform is scheduled to take place in Helsinki on 11–12 June 2026.

Background

The roadmap was developed following the European Citizens' Initiative Save Cruelty-Free Cosmetics – Commit to a Europe Without Animal Testing, which gathered more than 1.2 million verified signatures. According to the Commission, more than 15 million animals were used for regulatory testing purposes in the EU between 2015 and 2023, nearly 40% of which were used for chemical safety assessments.