Abstract

Reference: EC 2002
Title: Life Sciences and biotechnology - A Strategy for Europe
Authors: Commission of the European Communities
Publisher: Biotechnology European Commission, Rue de la Loi, 200 , Wetstraat, Bruxelles -1049 – Brussels, Belgium
Publication details: 23 January 2002, 35p

The European Council in Stockholm in March 2001 invited the Commission, together with the Council, to examine measures required to utilise the full potential of biotechnology and strengthen the European biotechnology sector's competitiveness in order to match leading competitors while ensuring that those developments occur in a manner which is healthy and safe for consumers and the environment, and consistent with common fundamental values and ethical principles.

The European Commission launched a broad public consultation in 2001 (EC 2001) to develop sustainable and responsible policies to address the following three questions: 
1. How can Europe best attract the human, industrial and financial resources to develop and apply these technologies to meet society’s needs and increase its competitiveness?
2. How can Europe deliver effective, credible and responsible policies which enjoy the confidence and support of its citizens? 
3.  How can Europe best respond to the global challenges, develop its domestic policies with a clear international perspective and act internationally to pursue its interests?

Europe is currently at a crossroads: The Commission believes we need to actively develop responsible policies in a forward-looking and global perspective, or we will be confronted by policies shaped by others, in Europe and globally. The technology and its applications are developing rapidly – the Commission believes that Europe’s policy choice is, therefore, not whether, but how to deal with the challenges posed by the new knowledge and its applications.

The Commission proposes here a strategy to respond with responsible, science-based, and people-centred policies on an ethical basis. This strategy aims to allow Europe to benefit from the positive potential of life sciences and biotechnology, to ensure proper governance, and to meet Europe’s global responsibilities. This is a proposal for an integrated strategy on life sciences and biotechnology whose different elements are interdependent and mutually reinforcing.

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