Introduction
The
European
Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologie (EGE) is an
independent,
pluralist and multidisciplinary body which advises the European
Commission
on ethical aspects of science and new technologies in connection with
the
preparation and implementation of Community legislation or
policies.
In December
1997 the European
Commission set up the European Group on Ethics to succeed the Group of
Advisers on the Ethical Implications of Biotechnology (GAEIB
1991-1997).
During its first mandate the EGE (1998-2000) provided Opinions on
subjects
as diverse as human tissue banking, human embryo research, personal
health
data in the information society, doping in sport and human stem cell
research.
At a specific request of the President of the Commission, Romano Prodi,
the Group also wrote the "Report on the Charter on Fundamental Rights"
related to technological innovation.
The Group has
twelve members.
They are appointed by the European Commission (Press release of 24
April
2001) for their competence and personal qualities. They come from
different
countries and are experts in disciplines such as biology and genetics,
medicine, informatics, law, philosophy or theology.
The Commission
has appointed
the twelve Members for the period 2001-2004 and amended the EGE remit
in
order to strengthen the role of the Group:
1. Prof.
Göran HERMERÉN
(Sweden), President, Philosopher, Professor of Medical Ethics,
Faculty
of medicine, Lund University
2. Prof. Linda
NIELSEN (Denmark), Vice-President, Professor of Law, Rector of
the
University of Copenhagen
3. Prof. Nicos C.
ALIVIZATOS
(Greece), Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Athens
4. Prof. Rafael
CAPURRO
(Germany), Professor of Information Management and Information Ethics
at
Fachhochschule Stuttgart, Hochschule der Medien, University of Applied
Sciences
5. Prof. Inez DE
BEAUFORT
(The Netherlands), Professor of Health Care Ethics at the Medical
Faculty
of the Erasmus University, Rotterdam
6. Prof. Yvon
ENGLERT (Belgium),
Head of Fertility Clinic, Free University of Brussels (ULB), Professor
of Medical Ethics and Deontology, ULB
7. Prof. Catherine
LABRUSSE-RIOU
(France), Centre de recherche en droit privé, Université
de Paris.
8. Dr. Anne
McLAREN (United
Kingdom), Geneticist, Research Associate at Wellcome CRC Institute,
Cambridge
9. Prof. Pere
PUIGDOMÈNECH
ROSELL (Spain), Research Professor at the Department for Molecular
Genetics,
Director of Institut de Biologia Molecular de Barcelona, CSIC
10. Prof. Stefano
RODOTA
(Italy), Professor of Civil Law, University of Rome, Chairman of the
Italian
Data Protection Authority, Chairman of the European Group of the Data
Protection
Authorities
11. Prof.
Günter VIRT
(Austria), Professor of Theology, Institute of Catholic Moral Theology,
University of Vienna
12. Prof. Peter
WHITTAKER
(Ireland), Biologist, Professor of Biology, Institute of Environment,
Philosophy
and Public Policy, University of Lancaster, Furness College
Secretariat
of the EGE
European
Commission, 200 rue de la Loi
(Brey 10/128),
B-1049 Brussels.
EGE-Website:
europa.eu.int/comm/european_group_ethics
EGE-Newsletter
"Ethically
Speaking": providing information on the activities of the National
Ethics
Committees.
Remit of
the EGE
1. Purpose: The
European Group
on Ethics in Science and New Technologies, hereafter the “Group”, shall
act within the scope of the following remit.
2. Remit and
request for
opinions: The task of the Group shall be to advise the Commission on
all
ethical questions relating to sciences and new technologies, either at
the request of the Commission or on its own initiative. The Parliament
and the Council may draw the Commission's attention to questions which
they consider of major ethical importance. The Commission shall, when
seeking
the opinion of the Group, set a time limit within which such opinion
shall
be given.
3. Composition:
The Group
shall have twelve members appointed for their expertise and personal
qualities.
It shall be independent, pluralist and multidisciplinary.
4. Appointment:
The members
of the Group shall be appointed by the Commission.
5. Term of
office: Each member
of the Group shall be appointed for a term of four years. This term
shall
be renewable once. A member who resigns before completion of the term
of
office shall be replaced for the remainder of the term in accordance
with
the procedure laid down in Point 4.
6.
Reimbursement of expenses:
Travel and subsistence expenses for the Group’s meetings shall be
covered
by the Commission in accordance with the relevant administrative
rules.
7. Chair: The
Group shall
elect a chairperson and a vice-chairperson from among its members for
the
duration of the term of office.
8. Secretariat:
The Secretariat-General
of the Commission, acting in close cooperation with the Group’s
chairperson,
shall be responsible for organising the work of the Group and its
secretariat.
9. Working
methods: The Group’s
regular working meetings shall not be open to the public. For the
purposes
of preparing its Opinions and within the limits of the available
resources
for this action, the Group:
- may invite
experts either
from a Member State of the Union or from outside to take part in its
proceedings
on a given topic on the agenda.
- may initiate
studies in
order to collect all necessary scientific and technical
information
- may set up
working groups
to consider specific issues
- may organize
public Round
Tables in order to promote dialogue and improve transparency
- may establish
closer links
with representatives of the various ethics bodies which exist in the
European
Union and in the applicant countries.
10. Opinions:
Every opinion
shall be published immediately after its adoption. Where an opinion is
not adopted unanimously, it shall include any dissenting point of
view.
11. Rules of
Procedure: The
Group shall adopt its Rules of Procedure.
12. Activity
report: A report
on the Group’s activities shall be produced under the responsibility of
the chairperson before the end of its term of office. The report shall
be published.
13. Replacement
of previous
text: This text describing the remit of the European Group on Ethics in
Science and New Technologies shall replace the remit annexed to the
Communication
to the Commission of 12 December 1997 on the establishment of the
European
Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (SEC(97)2404).
Secretariat
of the EGE
European
Commission, 200 rue de la Loi
(Brey 10/128),
B-1049 Brussels.
EGE-Website:
europa.eu.int/comm/european_group_ethics
EGE-Newsletter
"Ethically
Speaking": providing information on the activities of the National
Ethics
Committees.
Activities
The Group
nominated in April
2001 held its first meeting on 29 May 2001 in Brussels. In his welcome
message President Prodi requested the Group to give two opinions:
- an Opinion (n.
16) on
the ethical aspects of patents resulting from research into stem
cells,
- an Opinion
(n.17) on the
ethical aspects of clinical research in developing
countries.
On June 11-12,
2001 the Group
participated at the conference: "Ethics and Biomedical Research" (Umea,
Sweden), organised by the Swedish Presidency.
In preparation
of the Opinion
n. 16 the Group organised on November 20, 2001 in Brussels, a
round-table
debate on the ethical aspects of patenting inventions involving human
stem
cells in order to discuss the topic with scientific experts, lawyers,
philosophers,
as well as representatives from the European Parliament, international
organisations, representatives of patients, industry, religions, and
other
interested parties.
In preparation
of the Opinion
n. 17 the Group participated at the conference "European African
partnership
on clinical trials programme for poverty related diseases" on
April
19-20, 2002 (Barcelona, Spain) as well as at meetings with members of
Spanish
Parliament and of Spanish working groups on bioethics.
Publications
OPINIONS
GAEIB
1993-1997
n. 1: The
ethical
implications
of the use of performance-enhancers in agriculture and fisheries
(12/03/1993)
n. 2: Products
derived from
human blood or human plasma (12/03/1993)
n. 3: Opinion on
ethical
questions arising from the Commission proposal for a Council directive
for legal protection of biotechnological inventions (30/09/1993)
n. 4: The ethical
implications
of gene therapy (13/12/1994)
n. 5: Ethical
aspects of
the labelling of the food derived from modern biotechnology
(05/05/1995)
n. 6: Ethical
aspects of
prenatal diagnosis (20/02/1996)
n. 7: Ethical
aspects of
genetic modification of animals (21/05/1996)
n. 8: Ethical
aspects of
patenting inventions involving elements of human origin
(25/09/1996)
n. 9: Ethical
aspects of
cloning techniques (28/05/1997)
n. 10: Ethical
aspects of
the 5th Research Framework Programme (11/12/1997)
EGE 1998-2004
n. 11: Ethical
aspects of
human tissue banking (21/07/1998)
n. 12: Ethical
aspects of
research involving the use of human embryo in the context of the 5th
framework
programme (23/11/1998)
n. 13: Ethical
issues of
healthcare in the information society (30/07/1999)
n. 14: Ethical
aspects arising
from doping in sport (14/11/1999)
n. 15: Ethical
aspects of
human stem cell research and use (14/11/2000)
n. 16: Ethical aspects of patenting inventions involving human stem
cells (07/05/2002)
n. 17: Ethical aspects of clinical research in developing countries
(04/02/2003)
n. 18: Ethical aspects of genetic testing in the workplace (17/09/2003)
n. 19: Ethical aspects of cord blood stem cells banks (20/04/2004)
n. 20: Ethical
Aspects of ICT implants in the human body (2005)
PROCEEDINGS
Genetic testing in
the workplace.
Round Table Debate, Brussels, 6 March 2000.
REPORTS
23/05/2000
Citizens Rights
and New Technologies: A European Challenge. Report on the Charter on
fundamental
rights related to technological innovation requested by President of
the
Commission, Romano Prodi.
GENERAL REPORT
on the activities
of the EGE 1998-2000 (Paper version, free of charge, available upon
request).
EGE 2001-2004
OPINIONS
2001 - 2004
n. 16: Ethical
aspects of
patenting
inventions involving human stem cells (07/05/2002)
n. 17: Ethical
aspects of
clinical
research in developing countries (04/02/2003)
n. 18: Ethical
aspects of
genetic
testing in the workplace (17/09/2003)
n. 19: Ethical aspects of cord blood stem cells banks (20/04/2004)
PROCEEDINGS