Legislation decided at EU level can have a large impact on the European research ecosystem. To reinforce Europe’s world-class research, it is essential to have a regulatory framework in place that benefits research excellence, openness, and international collaboration. Science Europe is active on a range of legislation topics that have an impact for research.
The objective of the European Research Area (ERA) is to build a common scientific and technological area for the EU that will help create a more competitive European industry. This area should be based on the free movement of researchers, scientific knowledge, and innovation. The EU frequently implements legislation that (in)directly changes the framework conditions for European research.
Researchers and research organisations need clear rules that help advance research and innovation. EU legislation therefore needs to respond to their evolving needs and practices. To realise ERA, this legislation must promote excellence, openness, and collaboration. When legislation does not aim to regulate research, but does affect it – such as when regulating data and digitalisation, it must build on cross-sectoral synergies to provide the best conditions for high-quality science.
The European Research Area focuses on:
Further crucial priorities in the coming years will be to:
To achieve a well-functioning ERA, coherent policies need to be developed at regional, national, and EU level. European authorities must work closely together with national and pan-European research stakeholders. They must develop forward-looking rules that fit the challenges that the world faces.
Science Europe is a trusted partner of the EU Institutions and regularly shares the expertise and experience of its members with them. It does so in particular in areas related to the Green Deal, digital transformation, societal challenges, and COVID-19. It thereby contributes to the development of a legislative framework that is beneficial to research and helps us to respond to both existing and future challenges.
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For Science Europe, 2021 was a very important year: the association celebrated its 10th year of existence. Founded in 2011, it has grown into a respected and influential voice in the European research policy debate. Moreover, we published a new Strategy Plan for 2021–2026, which maps our collective objectives and sets a specific yet flexible action framework over the next five years.
Ahead of discussions on 4 July in the European Parliament, Science Europe highlights its concerns regarding the potential impact of the Digital Services Act on the research and education sectors and the legal uncertainty that it is likely to create.
On 22 June, the co-initiators of the Stick to Science initiative have sent an open letter to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, asking her to intervene urgently in the critical issue for science created by the delay of the association of the United Kingdom and Switzerland to Horizon Europe.
Research organisations, libraries, repositories, and university networks call for the the exclusion of not-for-profit repositories, digital archives, and libraries from the obligations of the Digital Services Act.
Science Europe Response to the European Commission’s Consultation on a Future Data Act
Science Europe Response to the European Commission Consultation on European Digital Principles
Science Europe Response to the European Commission Inception Impact Assessment: Adapting Liability Rules to the Digital Age
Science Europe joins forces with other stakeholder organisations to argue for an exemption for not-for-profit scientific and educational repositories in the Digital Services Act (DSA). Please note this is for internal use only as this document was sent to a selected number of Parliament and Council representatives to advocate for the exemption.
In its response to the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) Science Europe welcomes the detailed guidance on identifying whether controllership is joint or separate within a given collaboration and identifying an appropriate legal form to establish an agreement. However further clarification through the EDPB Guidelines would be helpful for public research organisations.
In its response to the European Commission, Science Europe highlights that future EU legislation on AI needs to strike the right balance between safeguards for users and developers of AI systems, and a legal environment that fosters R&I.