Applications for animal studies in the European Union have become weightier and more informative since the EU's animal protection act was adopted in 2010. Because applications are now more challenging to review, researchers in some German states are charged a processing fee. This seems to run counter to the act's unifying approach, because no fee is levied from animal researchers in other EU countries.

Fees vary according to the burden of reviewing. For example, the charge for a 30-page application, which currently takes 3–4 months to review, might be €1,000 (US$1,130) or more — irrespective of whether or not it is successful. German scientists are in effect being penalized for complying with the act by submitting more-detailed applications as part of the 'refinement' of animal research — one of the '3Rs' criteria (see www.nc3rs.org.uk/the-3rs).

Such fees could push scientists to conduct their work abroad or deter them from doing animal experiments at all. This would be a disaster: the freedom of scientific research in Germany is as highly regarded as animal protection (Articles 5 and 20 of the Fundamental Law).