Integrating Evidence into EU Policymaking
Where are the fish stocks located so that we can optimise sustainability?
How can we mitigate climate change in the most effective, efficient and achievable way?
Are consumer products safe?
Questions like these and many others which impact directly on the lives of European citizens are behind polices developed by the European Union (EU). Increasingly our policymakers demand scientific evidence, including social sciences, to inform their work. But there are challenges in providing this on time, from trusted bodies and in a user-friendly format.
In my presentation I will speak about the role of scientific evidence in the work of the European Commission, which is the EU's executive body responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding EU treaties and managing the day-to-day business of the EU. In particular I will talk about how the Commission's Joint Research Centre, which operates daily at the science-policy interface, plays a key role in providing integrated evidence across policy boundaries and scientific disciplines.
You are thus most welcome to join our session here at AAAS to get a European flavor of the jobs, tasks and challenges of using scientific evidence to develop EU policy. I will be joined by two other distinguished experts, Dan Sarewitz (USA) and Sir Peter Gluckman (NZ) who will also provide their unique perspectives on this important role of science for policymaking.