The European Academies' Science Advisory Council (EASAC) provides independent scientific advice for policy-makers in the EU. EASAC represents the national science academies of EU member states and others. It aims to use scientific evidence to guide EU policymaking. EASAC publishes reports on issues like agriculture, energy, environment and health. Recent reports addressed topics such as plant health risks, spent nuclear fuel management, and genome editing. EASAC also participates in a global science advisory network and projects on issues like food security.

1. The network of the EU‘s
Academies of Science, EASAC,
SVI-EASAC Workshop „Smart Rural Development“
20 June 2017, Brussels
Dr Christiane Diehl
EASAC Executive Director

2. What is EASAC?
• EASAC = European Academies‘ Science Advisory Council
• Collective voice of the National Academies of Science of the
EU member states, Norway and Switzerland
• Source of independent scientific advice for policy-makers in
the EU‘s institutions and Member States and Europe generally
• National Science Academies in Europe:
 Networks of scientific excellence in Europe
 Shared task of science-based advice for policy and society

3. EASAC membership
 The 25 national science academies of
EU member states (there are no
national science academies in Malta,
Luxemburg or Cyprus)
317/07/2017
 Also, by explicit vote, the national
science academies of Norway and
Switzerland
 The pan-European Academy of
Science: Academia Europaea
 The association of all academies
in geographical Europe, ALLEA
 Observer status of FEAM, the
association of EU Academies of
Medicine

4. Brief EASAC history
• Founded in June 2001, at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences,
in Stockholm.
• Initiative by the Royal Society (UK), Royal Netherlands Academy
(NL), Académie des sciences (FR) and Royal Swedish Academy
(SE), with negotiations starting in the year 2000.
• Motivation behind the founding of EASAC:
– Absence of an independent advisory voice of science for the
institutions of the EU
– Advantages of a single body representing the EU Member
States‘ scientific communities
– Increasing impact of the EU‘s legislation on EU Member States
417/07/2017

5. • “Science for policy”: use of scientific evidence to
guide EU policy making (i.e. not “policy for science”)
• Detailed analysis and recommendations from
Europe’s most respected scientists
• Publications are designed for a policy-oriented
audience, not primarily other scientists
• Efficient and timely manner of offering science-
based analysis and advice for policy and the public
517/07/2017
What does EASAC do ?

6. EASAC‘s structure
Council
(Full Assembly)
Bureau
(President & Vice-Presidents)
Halle Secretariat & Brussels Office
Activities with a global
reach, related to EASAC‘s
work as regional affiliated
network for Europe of IAP
Capacity-building activities
for member academies
(e.g. Science-Policy-
Dialogue workshops)
Steering Panel
Energy
Steering Panel
Biosciences
Steering Panel
Environment
Director Energy
617/07/2017
Secretary Biosciences
Working Groups
Biosciences
Working Groups Energy Working Groups
Environment
Director EnvironmentDirector Biosciences

7. Recent EASAC reports (1)
• Risks to plant health: European Union priorities for tackling
emerging plant pests and diseases (03/2014)
• Management of spent nuclear fuel and its waste (07/2014)
• European space exploration: strategic considerations of
human versus robotic exploration (09/2014)
• Antimicrobial drug discovery: greater steps ahead (10/2014)
• Shale gas extraction: issues of particular relevance to the
European Union (11/2014)
• Ecosystem services, agriculture and neonicotinoids (04/2015)
• Marine sustainability in an age of changing oceans and seas
(06/2015)
717/07/2017

8. Recent EASAC reports (2)
• New Breeding Techniques (07/2015)
• Gain of Function (in virology) (10/2015)
• Marine sustainability in an age of changing oceans and seas
(01/2016)
• Greenhouse gas footprints of different oil feedstocks (04/2016)
• Priorities for critical materials for a circular economy (11/2016)
• Indicators for a circular economy (11/2016)
• Genome Editing: scientific opportunities, public interest and policy
options in the European Union (03/2017)
• Multi-functionality and Sustainability in the EU’s Forests (04/2017)
• Valuing Dedicated Storage on Electricity Grids (05/2017)
03/05/2017 8

9. Recent Journal Publications
• How should the applications of genome editing be assessed
and regulated? eLife, April 2017
• «Frankenvirus», bientôt l’épilogue?, Le Monde, April 2016
• Genetic gain of function, Nature, October 2015
• Antimicrobial Innovation, Nature Reviews, Oct 2014
• Time to settle the synthetic controversy, Nature, May 2014
• How should we tackle the global risks to plant health?
Trends in Plant Science, April 2014
• What do we need to do to tackle antimicrobial resistance?
The Lancet Global Health, November 2013
• Europe should rethink its stance on GM crops,
Nature, June 2013
927/2/2013

10. Genome Editing (March 2017)
• Plants: advice to regulate the specific
agricultural trait/product rather than
the technology used
• Gene drive applications (e.g. control
of disease vectors): phased approach
• Human applications: intensive basic
and clinical research should proceed
subject to appropriate legal and
ethical rules and standardised p
ractices.
• Need for public engagement on
important research advances and
their societal implications
1027/2/2013

11. Sustainable Forests (April 2017)
• (Biodiversity for) Multifunctionality
and delivery of ecosystem services
• Tension between demands for
increased extraction of biomass and
contribution of same biomass in situ
to soil fertility, biodiversity and
protective functions.
• Interaction between forests
management and climate change
mitigation efforts (also: forests‘
biophysical effects).
• Biomass energy impact re. CO2
relatively poor, which should be
reflected in renewables subsidies.
1127/2/2013

12. Electricity Storage (May 2017)
• Variable renewable electricity
generation call for storage options
and integration.
• Trend of battery storage at
‘prosumer‘ level (PV housholds).
• Grid back-up systems
requirements will not decrease in
next 30-40 years as new
technologies also mature.
• Need for electricity market design
encouraging cost-efficient
flexibility, responding to
PV+battery increase and staying
‘technology neutral‘.
1227/2/2013

13. Addressing global challenges
Biosciences (Using crop genetic improvement
technologies for sustainable agriculture)
Environment (The current status of biofuels: their
environmental impacts and future prospects)
Energy (Concentrating solar power: its potential
contribution to a sustainable energy future)
13

14. EASAC part of global network
of science academies IAP
(The InterAcademy Partnership)
14
Europe
Africa
Asia
America

15. IAP Project „Food and Nutrition
Security and Agriculture“ and EASAC
• Global project by the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) in
„bottom-up“ approach of all science academies around the
globe, to provide science-based advice for the global policy level.
• Funding for 4-year activity of approx. €1 mio provided by
German Research Ministry BMBF, duration 2015 to 2019.
• Academies working through the four IAP regional academy
networks: AASSA (Asia), EASAC (Europe), IANAS (the Americas)
and NASAC (Africa)
• Focus of project: Global analyis and recommendations for
sustainable and reliable food and nutrition security worldwide
1517/07/2017

16. Summary: EASAC and the EU
• The academies in Europe are in an excellent position to offer
science-based advice to policy in Europe because there is a
clear audience for it in the EU’s institutions
• Estimates say that approx. 80% of all legislation in individual
EU Member States originates in Brussels (directly or indirectly)
• Thus, if EU national science academies want to deliver their
advice where it has the biggest impact for their nation, that is
in Brussels
• Special weight of united voice of member state academies
• Over the past years, EASAC has made substantial progress in
delivering advice to the EU Commission and EU Parliament
1605/10/2016

17. Science Advice Mechanism (SAM)
of the EU Commission, since 2015
1717/07/2017

18. Highl-Level Group of the SAM
(as of 17 June 2017)
• Janusz Bujnicki: Professor of Bioinformatics and Protein
Engineering, Warsaw
• Pearl Dykstra: Professor of Sociology, Rotterdam
• Elvira Fortunato: Professor of Materials Science, Lisbon
• Rolf-Dieter Heuer: Director-General of the European Organization
for Nuclear Research (CERN)
• Carina Keskitalo: Professor of Political Science, Umeå University
• Paul Nurse: Director of the Francis Crick Institute, London
• Cédric Villani: Mathematician and Director of the Henri Poincaré
Institute, Paris
1817/07/2017

19. European Academy Organisations
Academia Europaea: Academy with 3500 individual members from Council of
Europe region and other nations across the world, encompassing full range of
academic disciplines
ALLEA, the “European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities”
with 59 academies in more than 40 countries from the Council of Europe
region, covering all academic disciplines with a particular focus on social
sciences and the humanities
EASAC, the network of the 25 National Science Academies of the EU Member
States, Norway and Switzerland. Strong focus on the natural sciences,
especially on environment, energy and biosciences
Euro-CASE, the academies of engineering, applied sciences and technology
from 23 European countries, with a special focus on innovation, energy and
bioeconomy policy and with access to expertise from the business sector
FEAM brings together 18 National Academies of Medicine and medical
sections of National Academies of Sciences in the EU
1927/2/2013

20. Project consortium „SAPEA“
SAPEA = project of five European academy organisations: Academia
Europaea, ALLEA, EASAC, Euro-CASE and FEAM, created in November
2016.
 Science Advice for Policy by European Academies
DEMAND BY EUROPEAN COMMISSION TO DELIVER COMPLETELY
INTEGRATED ADVICE FROM ALL THE SCIENCES = ALWAYS
NATURAL, ENGINEERING AND MEDICAL SCIENCES INTEGRATED
WITH SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES
2027/2/2013