More European NGOs have thrown their weight behind a call for the European Commission to scrap the position of the chief scientific advisor in a new letter sent to the incoming EU president, Jean-Claude Juncker
Scientific advice should be transparent, objective, and independent, and there should be more science and more diverse expertise available to the European Commission’s President, a coalition of 28 international and national NGOs wrote in a new letter addressed to President-elect Jean-Claude Juncker today.
Currently the advice given by the Commission's chief scientific advisor (CSA) is not transparent. The current occupier of the role, Anne Glover, has insisted that her advice must remain "not transparent" and "immune from public scrutiny".
GMWatch is a signatory of the new letter, as well as the original one calling for the office of CSA to be scrapped.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php/news/archive/2014/15543
EXCERPT: Of the three EU countries that had established a full-time CSA post in government – the UK, Czech Republic, and Ireland – only the UK was still maintaining it, the letter says, and there it has come under fire for issuing partial advice, closely aligned to specific commercial and political interests.
1. NGO backlash to Chief Scientific Advisor position grows
2. NGOs call for debate on how to put science at the heart of EU politics
1. NGO backlash to Chief Scientific Advisor position grows
Euractiv.com, 19 Aug 2014
More European non-profit groups have thrown their weight behind a call by Greenpeace and HEAL for the European Commission to scrap the position of its Science Tsar, Anne Glover, in a letter sent to the incoming EU president, Jean-Claude Juncker, which EurActiv has seen.
A previous missive by nine, mostly environmental, NGOs sent to Juncker on 22 July provoked accusations that green groups were trying to shoot a science-based messenger who had occasionally taken advocacy positions that, for instance, favoured GMOs.
Now 13 more non-profit groups – including heavy-hitters such as Friends of the Earth - have added their names to the call, citing a statement by Glover reported in EurActiv earlier this month that her advice should remain “not transparent” and immune from public scrutiny, as cause for concern.
“Scientific scrutiny in policymaking is essential,” said Jorgo Riss, the director of Greenpeace EU. “The question is how to ensure that the best representation of wide-ranging advice is available to you and your colleagues. The CSA position does not help and cannot fulfill this purpose because of the fundamental flaws of the role itself.”
Juncker must soon decide whether to keep Glover’s Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) role, which was established by his predecessor, President José Manuel Barroso.
The NGOs letter argues that he should abolish it because objectivity and advice requires a diversity of sources, and a consistent response to scientific evidence, such as that presented by the Commission’s own Joint Research Center (JRC).
But the JRC’s contributions to policy debate are often augmented by impact assessments outsourced to external consulting firms which, Glover argues, have a “political imperative” behind them that can distort facts.
Her proposed solution is an evidence-gathering portal service that would act independently of politicians - although they could still override the portal’s findings if they judged social or economic considerations to be more important.
Glover has won support from some scientists and industry lobbies for her stances. BusinessEurope, the European employers’ confederation recently wrote to the outgoing EU president José Manuel Barroso, praising Glover and asking him to “further institutionalise” the Chief Scientific Advisor (CSA) spot.
Vested interests
The NGOs contend that this is part of the problem. “Vested interests have long realised that the more you concentrate scientific advice into the hands of one person, the easier it is to control,” they write. “Politicians value an apparently authoritative voice for garnering support for particular policies.”
Of the three EU countries that had established a full-time CSA post in government – the UK, Czech Republic and Ireland – only the UK was still maintaining it, the letter says, and there it has come under fire for issuing partial advice, closely aligned to specific commercial and political interests.
“The influence of corporate lobbyists is made even easier by the fact that the CSA of the European Commission has no obligation to publish the advice given to the President,” the NGOs say.
Professor Glover is currently out of the country on summer leave and was unable to respond to the new line of attack from NGOs. But her office made clear that they would anyway prefer to stay above the fray.
“The issue is in the public domain and politicians and scientists are making statements,” a member of her staff told EurActiv. “It is better that others speak, than us.”
2. NGOs call for debate on how to put science at the heart of EU politics
Greenpeace, August 19, 2014
http://www.greenpeace.org/eu-unit/en/News/2014/CSA-second-letter-to-Juncker/
[links to sources at url above]
* Scientific advice to the European Commission’s President should be transparent and objective
Scientific advice should be transparent, objective, and independent, and there should be more science and more diverse expertise available to the European Commission’s President, a coalition of 28 international and national NGOs wrote in a letter addressed to President-elect Jean-Claude Juncker today.[1]
The new President will have to decide whether or not to retain the position of Chief Scientific Advisor (CSA) that was established by his predecessor, President José Manuel Barroso.
In the majority of European countries, governments rely for advice on scientific committees composed of various experts, who prepare transparent and public reports. Among EU countries, only the UK currently maintains the position of a single CSA as a full-time government office.[2] The NGOs argue that it is unreasonable to expect that one single person can guarantee objective and competent advice on a widespread range of issues to the European Commission’s President. They are concerned that the model chosen by President Barroso lacks transparency and objectivity, and makes it easier for lobbyists to influence scientific policy advice.
Jorgo Riss, Director of Greenpeace EU, said: “Scientific scrutiny in policy-making is essential. The question is how to ensure that the best representation of wide-ranging and transparent scientific advice is available to incoming President Juncker. The model of relying on a single Chief Scientific Advisor is problematic: it lacks transparency and does not guarantee objective scientific advice. Industry lobbyists want the EU to stick to this model, but there are better ways to promote sound and objective scientific advice for the European Commission”.
The current CSA has stated that her advice should remain “not transparent” and immune from public scrutiny[3] and this is a major concern for the signatory NGOs.
Nina Holland of the Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) said: “The CSA position does not and cannot provide decision-makers with the widest and most objective science available. A single position is also far more exposed and vulnerable to the impact of lobbyists. We would welcome a debate on how to put science at the heart of European politics.”
Notes to editors:
[1] The joint letter - available in English, French and German - is signed by 28 international and national NGOs from Austria, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, and UK.
[2] Cf. the entries on national governance structures in the European Commission Platform on Research and Innovation policies and systems.