New members of European group on ethics in science and new technologies apointed
The President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, has appointed the 15 members of the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE) with a mandate until 2009. Six of the new members are reappointed from the previous mandate, and nine are new. The European Parliament's EPP-ED group has welcomed the appointments, claiming that the membership is now far more balanced. 'Up to now, the EGE has been composed in a very unbalanced way. Most of the members supported a relatively unlimited freedom of research. This was particularly obvious in its statement on the patenting of human embryonic stem cells,' reads a statement from MEPs Miroslav Mikoslásik and Peter Liese. This mix of liberal and more conservative views is welcomed by the MEPs: 'When these very different personalities in future agree on a common proposal, one can assume that the proposal is sustainable. That was unfortunately not the case in previous years.' The EGE is an independent, pluralist and multidisciplinary body providing advice to the European Commission on ethics in science and new technologies in connection with the preparation and implementation of Community legislation or policies. The 15 members are appointed for their expertise and personal qualities. They come from different countries and are high level experts in disciplines such as biology and genetics, informatics, law, philosophy or theology. The EGE was set up by the European Commission in December 1997, to succeed the Group of Advisers on the Ethical Implications of Biotechnology. During its first mandate, the EGE 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 then President of the Commission, Romano Prodi, the group also wrote the Report on the Charter of Fundamental Rights related to technological innovation. During the second mandate period (2001-2004), the Group widened the scope of its ethical analyses, producing opinions on: patenting inventions involving human stem cells, clinical research in developing countries, genetic testing in the workplace, umbilical cord blood banking, and ICT implants in the human body. When the previous mandate of the EGE expired in March 2005, the European Commission took this opportunity to review and revise the mandate of the EGE. The new mandate confirms the essential mission of the EGE, which is to provide advice to the Commission on the ethics of science and new technologies. However, the mandate has been changed to allow an increase in membership from the previous 12 to 15. This increase means that the new EGE has a wider range of competences and through its membership reflects the enlarged European Union. Two subjects which are likely to figure in the early work programme of the new EGE are nanomedicine and stem cells.