CAAT-Europe Policy Program

For further information, please click on the underlined links:

CAAT-Europe Policy Program

CAAT / CAAT-Europe are present in Brussels to promote the implementation of human-relevant methodologies in legal texts and guidelines. This foresees direct interaction with parliamentarians, organization of workshops and symposia in the European Parliament (Brussels and Strasbourg) and also participation in all relevant events of the Parliament. The purpose of CAAT-Europe’s Policy Program is to educate legislators and politicians on Tox-21c, and the availability of new methods. CAAT’s Policy program intends to serve as a voice of humane science to policy makers, to create a legislative and policy culture that values the lives of animals, to serve as information hub for policy makers on the availability and feasibility of alternative approaches and to bring policy makers in contact with scientists that have enhanced the field of Tox-21c.

During the last three years, CAAT has participated in 10 workshops at the European Parliament (several of them organized by CAAT) with Policy makers, regulatory bodies and representatives from industry, animal welfare and consumer organizations. Due to the action of the CAAT-Europe Policy bureau in Brussels, strong collaborations with the diverse stakeholders could be established and it is already considered as an honest broker.

In June 2014, it has been celebrated at an award ceremony by EuroGroup for Animals as “Partner raising standards for animal welfare”. CAAT is teaming-up with relevant partners to disseminate the Tox-21c vision across the Atlantic. For example, CAAT and FDA’ s EU acting Director, Donald Prater, hosted a one-day workshop on endocrine disrupters at the US mission to the EU. More than 100 participants attended this 2013 event on hazard and risk assessment for endocrine disruptors. The event was continued by co-chairs MEPs Prodi (S&D, Italy) and Kelly (EPP, Ireland) at a CAAT workshop at the EP in the context of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

Defined work examples of the CAAT-Europe Policy Program are given below:

1.1. Regulatory watch and advocacy for alternatives to animal testing on EU legislative files:

  • Horizon 2020 program: CAAT introduced text changes to support EU research on alternative test methods rather than animal testing
  • Protection of public health from on endocrine disrupters: support for the use of human cell-based models
  • Regulation on medical devices: Annex I section 7 was improved to allow animal-free methods.
  • Amendment 314 on recommendations to the European Commission on the negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)

  • Report on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC) No 726/2004 laying down Community procedures for the authorisation and supervision of medicinal products for human and veterinary use and establishing a European Medicines Agency (COM (2014) 0557 – C8-0142/2014 – 2014/0256 (COD)); Amendment 5 & 12
  • EU 2017 Budget: Pilot Project Promoting alternatives to animal testing (07 02 77 41)

1.2. Organization of CAAT workshops (W) and speeches at the EU institution level (S)

1.3. Policy publications

1.    ALTEX 2014; 31(3), 371–374 "Animal Testing – Science or Tradition? What future for alternatives to animal testing?" E. McIvor, F. Busquet, T. Ramirez, R. Weissenhorn, C. Hendriksen and S. Jędrzejewska.

2.    ALTEX 2015; 32(4), 392-393 "Animal Use for Science in Europe" Daneshian M, Busquet F, Hartung T and Leist M

3.    ILAR Journal, Volume 57, Issue 3, 1 May 2016, Pages 358–367 "Can TTIP improve laboratory animal welfare in safety testing and 3Rs?" Busquet F, Zurlo J, Hartung T

4.    ALTEX 2017; 34(1), 3-21  Food for Thought ... "The Need for Strategic Development of Safety Sciences Busquet F. and Hartung T

1.4. Awards

In June 2014, EuroGroup4Animals has celebrated CAAT for Animals as “Partner raising standards for animal welfare”.

In November 2014, the Policy program was awarded the Lush Prize for its lobbying activities.

1.5. Future CAAT Policy Program strategy

Due to the success of CAAT’s Policy Program, the audience for animal-free toxicity testing has been broadened, and people that were not very receptive to these ideas have been targeted. The goal is to weaken the reluctance for moving away from animal testing by showing the scientific and technological value of the alternatives as a new economy, a source for jobs and growth. The CAAT-Europe Policy Program is not only creating momentum by organizing scientific cutting-edge workshops, but also by supporting and connecting people that are willing to further 3Rs.

CAAT intends to continue the Policy Program activities. One particular new activity will be to promote access to toxicological safety data hosted by the EU agencies (i.e. ECHA, EFSA and EMA) to third parties. Last but not least, CAAT intends to promote new cutting edge technologies such as lab-on-a-chip and data mining. CAAT also targets group coordinator MEPs and chairman/woman of European Parliament Committee as well as STOA MEPs to disseminate further the idea that 3Rs is not only about ethics but also new mature technologies for consumer protection.