European Academies' Science Advisory Council (EASAC)

European Academies' Science Advisory Council (EASAC)
Name	European Academies' Science Advisory Council
Abbreviation	EASAC
Formation	2001
Type	Non-governmental organisation
Headquarters	Brussels
Region	Europe
Membership	National science academies

European Academies' Science Advisory Council (EASAC) EASAC is a pan-European assembly of national academies that provides evidence-based advice to the European Union, Council, European Commission, and other European Parliament bodies, drawing on expertise from institutions such as the Royal Society, Max Planck Society, Académie des sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Polish Academy of Sciences. Founded to coordinate the scientific voice of France, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy and other European Union member states alongside countries in the European Free Trade Association and candidate states, EASAC collaborates with international organisations including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, World Health Organization, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the European Environment Agency.

History and Formation

EASAC was established in 2001 following consultations among national academies such as the Royal Society, German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, Académie des sciences, Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Real Academia de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences to provide coordinated scientific advice to European institutions like the European Commission and the European Parliament. Early interactions involved joint statements related to the Kyoto Protocol, cooperation with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and responses to events such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the Chernobyl disaster legacy debates, while national academies including the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Austrian Academy of Sciences contributed regional expertise. Over time EASAC expanded lines of inquiry to include inputs relevant to the Lisbon Treaty, energy policy debates involving actors like Euratom and technology assessments paralleling work by the European Research Council and the Joint Research Centre.

Mission and Objectives

EASAC's mission is to synthesize independent scientific analysis from members such as the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Academia Europaea, Finnish Academy of Science and Letters, and the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences to inform policy choices by fora including the European Council, Committee of the Regions, and agencies such as the European Medicines Agency. Objectives include producing consensus reports on topics like climate change policy intersecting with findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and biodiversity concerns aligned with the Convention on Biological Diversity, advising on health policy with relevance to the World Health Organization and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, and assessing technological developments related to institutions such as the European Space Agency and CERN.

Organizational Structure and Membership

EASAC is governed by a council composed of representatives from member national academies, including bodies like the Royal Irish Academy, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Romanian Academy, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, and the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. The secretariat, located in Brussels, supports working groups and project teams that may include experts affiliated with the University of Oxford, Sorbonne University, University of Bologna, Technical University of Munich, ETH Zurich, and the Karolinska Institute. Leadership roles have been held by figures connected to the Royal Society, Leopoldina, and the Académie des sciences, while advisory committees liaise with networks such as the European Academies' Science Advisory Council network of thematic panels on energy, environment, health, and biosciences. Membership spans academies from EU member states, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, and candidate countries, coordinating through mechanisms akin to those used by the European Science Foundation.

Activities and Publications

EASAC produces consensus reports, statements, briefings, and technical notes addressing issues that intersect with the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, European Environment Agency, European Medicines Agency, World Health Organization, and the Food and Agriculture Organization. Notable outputs have covered renewable energy assessment comparable to analyses by the International Energy Agency, biodiversity and conservation informed by the Convention on Biological Diversity, antimicrobial resistance in concert with the World Health Organization, and gene-editing oversight dialogues related to the European Court of Justice rulings and frameworks used by CERN for multidisciplinary review. Publications are authored by working groups drawing on researchers from institutions like Max Planck Institute, CNRS, CSIC, Karolinska Institute, Imperial College London, and are disseminated to stakeholders including the European Commission, European Parliament, national ministries, and international bodies such as the United Nations Environment Programme.

Policy Impact and Engagement

EASAC engages policymakers through briefings, roundtables, and testimony to entities such as the European Parliament committees, the European Commission Directorate-Generals, and national ministries in capitals like Berlin, Paris, Rome, Madrid, and Lisbon. Its advice has informed debates on the European Green Deal, renewable energy directives relevant to Euratom discussions, and regulatory frameworks linked to the European Medicines Agency and the European Chemicals Agency. EASAC collaborates with partners including the InterAcademy Partnership, Academia Europaea, European Molecular Biology Organization, and the Royal Society to increase the uptake of scientific evidence in policy, while interacting with NGOs such as Greenpeace and professional societies like the Federation of European Biochemical Societies for stakeholder perspectives.

Funding and Governance

EASAC's funding model combines contributions from member academies such as the Royal Society, Leopoldina, Académie des sciences, project grants from supranational bodies like the European Commission, and contracts with agencies including the European Environment Agency and philanthropic support comparable to grants from foundations associated with universities like Cambridge and Oxford. Governance is overseen by a council and executive committee comprised of academy-nominated members, and operates under policies aligned with transparency norms practiced by institutions such as the Royal Society and the Max Planck Society, with ethical guidance informed by standards employed by the World Health Organization and the European Ombudsman.

Category:Scientific organisations based in Europe Category:European Union