La tutela giuridica degli animali da esperimento: riflessioni sull'attuazione in Italia della direttiva 2010/63/UE

This paper deals with the issue of animal experimentation and animal welfare in the context of international and European legislation. In particular, it focuses on the principle of animal welfare provided by Article 13 of the TFEU and on the major legal issues surrounding animal testing contained in the provisions of the Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes as, inter alia, the use of alternative methods. Indeed, these represent a key element of the new European legal regime. The EU Member States were required to adopt by 10th November 2012, the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with the Directive. In this regard, special attention is devoted to the implementation of the Directive 2010/63/EU in the Italian legal system. After the implementation of the Directive in Italy through the adoption of the Legislative Decree No. 26 of 4th March 2014, the debate on animal testing has become more acute, also considering the infringement procedure by the European Commission in conformity with Article 258 of TFEU.