标题：BRIEF NOTES. An ethics for the living world: operation methods of Animal Ethics Committees in Italy. Mariano Martini, Susanna Penco, Ilaria Baldelli, Bartolomeo Biolatti and Rosagemma Ciliberti
摘要：Introduction and objectives. Coinciding with the recent implementation in Italy ofthe “Directive 2010/63/EU, regarding the protection of animals used for scientific purposes”,the Authors would like to analyse the topic of the introduction of ethical committeesfor animal experimentation in Italy. This paper furthermore aims to underlinesome critical aspects concerning the actions taken by Italian institutions to comply withthe provisions of EU.Results and discussion. The implementation of the recent Italian law (Decreto Legislativon. 26 on 4 March 2014 Implementation of the Directive 2010/63/EU on the protectionof animals used for scientific purposes) leans towards a restrictive interpretation ofthe European provisions about composition and responsibilities of “Ethical Committeefor Animal Experimentation”. In the composition of the bodies mentioned, we note atendency to restrict the composition to few professional figures contemplated by Italianlaw, without guaranteeing the independence of each committee; also, an absence ofhierarchical relationship between a research institution and his committee is apparent.Moreover, a critical aspect is the lack of decision-making powers of these new organismsin terms of ethical evaluation of protocols and research projects.Conclusions. What EU legislation imposes on the member states is to set up an animalwelfarebody (art. 26). This represents a strong incentive for Italy to follow the steps ofmany other European Countries, where ad hoc ethical committees have been workingfor a long time. The proper functioning of these bodies may contribute to guarantee thesafety and welfare of the animals inside the laboratories, and to balance the protection ofanimal life and the interests of research.
关键词：animal experimentation; Italian Ethical;Committee on Animal;Experimentation; animal welfare; ethics of animal;experimentation; Italy
