Interested in European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE)?

The European information society, or knowledge society – if there is to be one – depends on the progress of science and technology, but the popular images of Frankenstein or Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde remind us of superstitions, as well as imagined or real fears of science running amok.



The European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE) is an attempt by the European Commission to bridge the gap between fact and fiction, by examining ethical questions arising from science and new technologies and on this basis to issue Opinions to the European Commission in connection with the preparation and implementation of Community legislation or policies.



The EGE was appointed from 2005 to 2009, but the mandate of EGE was extended until a new Decison and the appointment of its members prolonged until they have been replaced. The Commission has now officially published the new Decision on the EGE mandate:


COMMISSION DECISION of 23 December 2009 on the renewal of the mandate of the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies; Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) 5.1.2010 L 1/8.


The mandate has been renewed for a period of five years, and the task of EGE is the following:

Article 2
Mission

The task of the EGE shall be to advise the Commission on 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 to be of major ethical importance. The Commission shall, when seeking the opinion of the EGE, set a time limit within which such an opinion shall be given.

The Commission has also issued an advertisement with information about the advisory positions to be filled:

Call for expressions of interest in membership of the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies


Interested? The closing date for your submission is 31 January 2010.




Ralf Grahn



P.S. The Federal Union blog calmly argues the case for federalism, including at European level. It is listed among the nearly 500 great euroblogs on multilingual Bloggingportal.eu, a useful one-stop-shop for fact, opinion and gossip on European affairs, i.a. politics, policies, economics, finance and law.