A European Policy Centre (EPC) working paper published in March 2005 considers the current use of science in the policy and decision-making processes of the EU, the limitations of scientific evidence and the risk assessment process based on scientific ‘good practices’. The paper entitled 'Enhancing the role of science in the decision-making of the European Union' emphasises that, in managing risks to the environment and to human health, the best available science and scientific evidence has to be a key knowledge input for decision-making in all stages of the regulatory cycle.
The paper indentifies a series of weaknesses in the current EU approach:
The Treaty on EU contains no requirement:
- to take account of scientific data in other policy areas than environmental;
- to base decisions on the ‘best available science’ and legislation on evidence of risk rather than hazard;
- no comprehensive statement of risk management principles.
The EU guidelines for the collection and use of scientific advice:
- are limited, not mandatory and do not provide a comprehensive common set of key concepts and definitions for use in the provision of scientific advice;
- include no definition of the quality of information to be used;
- findings from major scientific assessments used in policy-making are not subject to peer review;
- do not provide EU institutions with a coherent policy for the use of evidence in decision-making.
EU guidelines for the selection of scientific advisors:
- have no peer review of potential advisors by external experts;
- have opaque selection processes;
- contain restrictions on the use of advisors from outside the EU.
Based on these and other findings, the report makes a series of recommendations for enhancing the role and improving the use of science in EU decision-making. The report encourages the Commission to publish a decision on a new binding policy covering risk analysis in policy-making. The paper invites the Commission to establish a new policy for the collection and use of scientific advice in decision-making. This policy would be applied by all institutions to all stages of the regulatory cycle and to all sources of scientific advice.
In addition, the paper proposes the establishment of a European Academy of Sciences, whose role would consist of advising high-level politicians on the scientific dimension of the policy- and decision-making.
