European Parliament

As a reflection of the importance of advances in the life sciences, the European Parliament has been considering, at the EU level, the policy and legislative implications of human genetics and other emerging technologies.

A framework for research
The Parliament’s role is to delimit, along with the Council of Ministers, the broad policy and legislative framework under which the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, can operate.
One of the functions of the Parliament’s Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy is to assess fundamental or pre-industrial research policy. In that context, it was the first port of call for the Commission’s draft proposal for the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6).
The full Parliament then considered the Committee’s suggested amendments when voting on the adoption of FP6. The Council of Ministers, in its turn, considered the proposal under the co-decision procedure, leading to the adoption of the agreed Framework Programme.

Eye on industry
The Committee is also responsible for considering matters relating to the EU’s common commercial and industrial policy. This includes setting standards and competition rules for new technologies in specific industrial and service sectors.
Emerging biotechnologies, such as genetically modified organisms, fall under the Committee’s remit. The Committee also addresses matters relating to pharmaceuticals and biotech firms.

European Parliament website
Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy