Recital 26

(26)The test methods in Commission Regulation (EC) No 440/2008 of 30 May 2008 laying down test methods pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) ¹⁹ are regularly reviewed and improved with a view to reducing testing on vertebrate animals and the number of animals involved. The European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM) of the Commission's Joint Research Centre plays an important role in the scientific assessment and validation of alternative test methods.