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The EU
Biotech Strategy
The EU's Life
Science and Biotechnology Strategy, published in January 2002,
set out 30 action points for the development of biotechnology in
Europe. The Action Plan is a follow-up to the Lisbon and
Stockholm summits where biotechnology was acknowledged as the
backbone of a knowledge-based economy. The 30 actions are
closely inter-related and cover a variety of areas: legislation,
public perception, financing, research, workforce education, and
international aspects through a process that involves
cooperation by industry, regulators, science and society.
The EU
Competitiveness in Biotechnology Advisory Group (CBAG) was set
up by the EU Commission to provide input into the Commission’s
annual report on the implementation of the Strategy for Life
sciences and Biotechnology, the mechanism through which the
European Council’s Lisbon Strategy addresses its biotechnology
component. In these reports, the EU reviews the progress that
has been made towards the strategy goals, the remaining or new
barriers to be tackled, and makes recommendations on how to more
effectively implement the EU Strategy and include a collection
of measures needed to be implemented for the biotechnology
industry to play its role in the knowledge economy.
The EU's Life Science and
Biotechnology Strategy
(2002)
The Mid-Term
Review
This strategy
and action plan was subject to a Mid-Term Policy Review which
was carried out by the EU Commission to see what needs to
change, what new policies are required, what has worked and what
has not worked so well.
On 5 July 2006, the European Commission opened a Consultation on
the Mid-Term Review of the Life Sciences and Biotechnology
Strategy 2002-2010. Respondents were invited to comment on any
of the actions they considered relevant for their respective
field of expertise and activity. The views expressed were
analysed by Commission services and provided as input to the
preparation of the Mid-Term Review of the Life Sciences and
Biotechnology Strategy.
All stakeholders (industry, NGOs, academia, national
associations, authorities etc.) were able to give their input to
the consultation process (Members states forum, Competitiveness
and Biotech Advisory Group, open consultation via internet,
etc). The Commission prepared the review with its Member States
Biotech Network Forum. The Member States Biotech Network Forum
is made up of representatives of Ministries of Industry and/or
Economic Affairs from the EU Member States. The Member States
Network set up four working groups to examine the Mid Term
Review (Regulatory, Communications, Finance and BioEconomy).
The review also
took account of the recommendations made during successive
Presidency Roundtables on Biotechnology.
The last
important EU Presidency event was the joint Austrian/Finnish
roundtable on 20 June 2006 in Helsinki, which brought
together industry, the EU institutions, and Member States to set
out a new biotech strategy and policy for biotechnology.
The official Commission
Communication was endorsed by the full college of European
Commissioners and was published on 11 April 2007.
The Competitiveness Council of
Ministers endorsed the strategy collectively on 21 May 2007. The
biotech industry considers that the refocused actions proposed
by the Commission are an important step towards building the
bio-economy. Industry hopes that the EU biotech strategy will be
implemented by all Member States without a biased pick and
choose approach so as to obtain a coherent policy in favour of
biotechnology in Europe.
EuropaBio Documents
Biotech
industry welcomes Ministers support for biotechnology
Word /
Pdf
EuropaBio press release -
11/04/2007
Member States must take their responsibilities to implement the
biotech strategy
Word /
Pdf
EU Commission Documents and Links
The Competitiveness Council
conclusions on the Mid-Term Review
[pdf] (2007)
The EU Commission's Communication
on the Mid-Term Review [pdf]
(2007)
The EU Commission's staff working
document on the Mid-Term Review
[pdf] (2007)
EU Commission
Press Release 11 April 2007
EU puts emphasis on innovation in
the field of biotechnology
EU Commission
Memo
Life sciences and biotechnology – a
key sector for Europe's competitiveness and sustainability
The Joint
Research Council's Bio4EU Study
Included in the
policy review are the results of the socio-economic impact study
of biotechnology, the Bio4EU study, which was undertaken by the
Joint Research Centre. The Bio4EU was the largest study ever of
its kind. It will be published on April 20th 2007 at a Symposium
in Brussels, some of the preliminary results which show the
pervasiveness of biotechnology across all major economic sectors
in Europe are included in the Commission Communication of the
Mid- Term Review.
The study shows that life sciences and biotechnology have
grown to be central to certain sectors of the EU economy and, in
a study published 20 April 2007, it is estimated that modern
biotechnology has generated almost 1.56% of EU gross value added
already, indicating that its importance is comparable to
Europe’s largest industry sectors. Biopharmaceuticals have
doubled from
1996 – 2005 and represent a 10% share of the combined turnover
of the pharmaceutical market of the EU, USA and Japan. In the
agroindustry, up to 20% of the input sector's turnover is now
related to biotech, and in industrial biotech the EU produces
about 75% of the world’s enzymes.
EuropaBio
Documents
EuropaBio press
release - 20/04/2007
Study shows the pervasiveness of biotechnology in Europe’s economy
Word
/
Pdf
EuropaBio Explains the Bio4EU Study
[ppt]
EU Commission Documents and Links
The Joint Research Council's
Website
The Bio4EU website
The Bio4EU Synthesis report
(on the Bio4EU website) [pdf]
The EU Biotech
Strategy and Mid Term Review Working Group
EuropaBio has
set up a working group devoted to the Mid-Term Policy Review
process and that has been active in helping the EU Commission
gain accurate and reliable data for the review.
EuropaBio
representative: Dirk Carrez
EuropaBio's
follow-up to the Mid-Term Review
EuropaBio
welcomed the Review of the EU’s Life Science and Biotechnology
Strategy and congratulates the Commission on putting together
such an extensive policy Review. The industry considers that the
refocused actions proposed by the Commission are an important
step towards building the bio-economy. However Industry regrets
the lack of implementation of the EU biotech strategy by a
number of Member States and would like to see both the Review
and the new action plan for biotechnology to be implemented
throughout Europe without a biased pick and choose approach so
as to obtain a coherent policy in favour of biotechnology in
Europe.
Five years on
from the first EU strategy for biotechnology some of the
elements that still need implementing in a coherent way:
-
The spirit
of the biotech patents directive is not respected by all
Member States;
-
Countries
are still not accepting approved and safe plant biotech
products and are denying choice to farmers by refusing to
condemn state imposed bans on biotech crops;
-
Member
States continue to complicate, to the extreme, market access
to safe optimised plants, questioning the conclusions of the
scientific assessment rather than accepting the scientific
opinions of their own European Food Safety Authority on the
safety of these products. “They should stop seeding doubt to
cultivate fear”, says Johan Vanhemelrijck.
EuropaBio calls on the European Parliament and stakeholders to
support the life sciences and biotechnology strategy that has
given an opportunity for all stakeholders to reinvigorate the
process and to send in ideas, suggestions and comments.
Links & Documents
EuropaBio
Documents
Biotech
industry welcomes Ministers support for biotechnology
Word /
Pdf
EuropaBio Explains the Bio4EU Study
[ppt]
EuropaBio
press release - 20/04/2007
Study shows the pervasiveness of biotechnology in Europe’s economy
Word
/
Pdf
EuropaBio
press release -
11/04/2007
Member States must take their responsibilities to implement the
biotech strategy
Word /
Pdf
EU Commission
Documents & websites
The Bio4EU website
The Bio4EU Synthesis report
(on the Bio4EU website)
[pdf]
The Joint Research Council's
Website
EU's Life Science and
Biotechnology Strategy
(2002)
The Competitiveness Council
conclusions on the Mid-Term Review
[pdf] (2007)
The EU Commission's
Communication on the Mid-Term Review
[pdf] (2007)
The EU Commission's staff
working document on the Mid-Term Review
[pdf] (2007)
EU
Commission Press Release 11 April 2007
EU puts emphasis on innovation
in the field of biotechnology
EU
Commission Memo
Life sciences and biotechnology
– a key sector for Europe's competitiveness and
sustainability
DG Enterprise and Industry
Biotech website
Competitiveness in
Biotechnology Advisory Group
(CBAG)
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EU
Biotech Strategy