Comentarios sobre la Directiva Europea 2010/63/EU para la protección de animales de laboratorio

on 20th october 2010 the new 2010/63/eu european directive on the protection of animals used in scientific procedures was published in the official journal of the european union, entering into force as a european law. member states now have a period of two years to implement the directive as a legal document ensuring its full legal binding by january 2013. this article undertakes a comparative analysis between the new directive 2010/63/eu and the current regulatory system in the uk, which is an international reference in the protection of laboratory animals. the new directive recognizes the importance of the use of animal experiments in scientific advances, but ensuring the defence and respect for the intrinsic values of the animals. in this regard the directive represents an important advance for the protection of animal welfare in all the member states, with the aim of harmonizing such values in the eu current legislation. while several countries already have fairly progressive legislation, the implementation of the new directive represents an excellent opportunity to reinforce high criteria levels in the defence of animal welfare throughout all the member states. this represents a good opportunity for the eu to reinforce its commitment with the scientific research and the welfare of experimental animals.