Nine non-governmental organisations have sent an open letter to Jean-Claude Juncker, the President-elect of the European Commission, urging him to scrap the function of chief science adviser (CSA) to the European Union, claiming the role is unaccountable, controversial and lacks transparency.
The incumbent CSA, Anne Glover, was appointed in 2011 when the outgoing President José Manuel Barroso introduced the post in the European Commission for the first time. Her role is, “to provide independent expert advice on any aspect of science, technology and innovation as requested by the President.”
“While the current CSA and her opinions were very present in the media, the nature of her advice to the President of the European Commission remains unknown,” according to the letter’s signatories. They say efforts to obtain information on situations where the President has solicited advice from the CSA in the past have not been successful.
“The post of Chief Scientific Adviser is fundamentally problematic as it concentrates too much influence in one person, and undermines in-depth scientific research and assessments carried out by or for the Commission directorates in the course of policy elaboration,” continues the letter.
These views run counter to those heard at Euroscience Open Forum conference in Copenhagen in June, where scientists were vocal in their support for the position.
Juncker has pledged to keep the position of CSA but there are discussions on how best to structure the role in the new term.
In place of a CSA, the authors suggest that the Commission seeks scientific advice from a “variety of independent, multi-disciplinary sources, with a focus on the public interest”.
No one at the Commission was available to comment on the letter.
Different views on GMOs
At the nub of the letter, the signatories disagree with Glover’s views on genetically modified organisms, saying, “To the media, the current CSA presented one-sided, partial opinions in the debate on the use of genetically modified organisms in agriculture, repeatedly claiming that there was a scientific consensus about their safety.” The letter claims no such scientific consensus exists.
On the issue of genetically-modified organisms, Barroso has said in the past that the CSA has a role in stimulating science debates in society.
Full list of signatories
- Hans Muilerman, Pesticide Action Network
- Christoph Then, Testbiotech
- Jamie Page, Cancer Prevention and Education Society
- Claire Robinson, GM Watch and Earth Open Source
- André Cicolella, Réseau Environnement Santé
- Anne Stauffer, Deputy Director, Health & Environment Alliance (HEAL)
- Nina Holland, Corporate Europe Observatory
- Jorgo Riss, Director, Greenpeace European Unit
- Christophe Morvan, Fondation Sciences Citoyennes
Editor’s Note: Anne Glover is a guest member of the Science|Business Innovation Board
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