ECOPA: National Concensus Platforms and efforts to reduce animal numbers
Peter Maier
3R Research Foundation, Mönsingen, Switzerland
ECOPA, the European Consensus Platform for Alternatives in Animal Experimentation was founded on October 28th, 2001 and will be legally accepted in the middle of 2002. ECOPA consists of representatives from existing European National Consensus Platforms which are also voting members (Austria, Germany, Netherland, Switzerland and the UK) and on a provisional basis from Belgium, Finland and Spain. Denmark, Italy, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic are associate members. Both the National Platforms and ECOPA will adhere to the tripartite 3R concept of Refinement, Reduction and Replacement. National Platforms must include representatives from all four parties involved in 3R issues, namely academia, animal welfare, industry and government.
ECOPA will strive to raise public, government and scientific awareness and acceptance of alternatives in animal experimentation. The goal is to facilitate the exchange of scientific information and expertise between National Consensus Platforms, EU, government, industry, animal welfare and scientific institutions. ECOPA will organise conferences and seminars, publish documents, collect and circulate information, and support scientific and educational initiatives. The purpose of ECOPA is to further the development and implementation of 3R methods in Europe and world-wide.
The statutes, containing criteria for the acceptance of voting members and defining the structure of the society are established and the final version will be approved by the member countries in the middle of 2002. Initial action has been already undertaken concerning the 6th Framework Programme of the EU. All the documents have been published on the web at http://ecopa.vub.ac.be/.
Additional information will be provided about the organization and structure of the National Platform in Switzerland: the 3R Research Foundation (http://www.forschung3r.ch).
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