EU infringement proceedings regarding the EU Laboratory Animals Directive

In a parliamentary question in the Bundestag, the FDP parliamentary group inquired about the federal government's conduct regarding the inadequate implementation of EU law on the Animal Welfare Act and the Medicines Act. In this regard, the EU Commission initiated infringement proceedings against the Federal Republic of Germany in 2018. The subject of these proceedings is a possible breach of the standards set by European law for the regulation of animal testing. At the time, the federal government had announced a reform proposal for Sections 7-10a of the Animal Welfare Act and Section 26 of the Medicinal Products Act. In this regard, the FDP parliamentary group wanted to know how proceedings against the Federal Republic of Germany could have even come about, since preliminary proceedings would always have been required before such proceedings. They also wanted to know whether the Federal Republic had prepared a statement in these proceedings in order to avert infringement proceedings within the framework of these preliminary proceedings. The inquiry is aimed at providing information on the current status of the proceedings. For laboratories, this means that they will have to adapt to changes to Section Five (Animal Experiments) and Section Six (Animal Welfare Officers) in animal husbandry as well. Section 26 of the German Medicinal Products Act (AMG) concerns the Drug Testing Directive and the Federal Ministry's regulatory authority. It remains to be seen to what extent this will also result in changes to animal husbandry in laboratories.