Open Letter: European Research and Higher Education Organisations Call On Commission Not to Neglect Their Needs in Lawmaking

Science Europe, along with 7 other Organisations, together representing key actors in the public research and higher education sectors, released an open letter today addressed to Ilze Juhansone, Secretary-General of the European Commission, and colleagues demanding the Commission prioritise research and education in its ex-ante impact assessment process.

Too often, Regulations and Directives have been proposed with far-reaching consequences for universities, research centres and the people who work there, but with little or no consideration of these implications.

The letter proposes concrete steps, including a review of the Union's Innovation Principle, which is currently focused only on private-sector research, as well as an update of its tools for impact assessment and more effective outreach both between European Commission's services and to stakeholders. Finally, it urges rapid steps to correct the uncertainties caused by recent legislation.

Mari Sundli Tveit, President of Science Europe and Chief Executive of the Research Council of Norway (RCN), stated in conjunction with the open letter: “EU legislation on data has had a substantial impact on the European research ecosystem in recent years. Without appropriate consideration of the specificities of the research sector, new laws have added undue complexity for researchers and research organisations. Changes to the EU's impact assessment practices are needed to better serve scientists in the future.”