Progress in science and technology offers many prospects for our personal well-being and for our social and economic welfare. This is particularly true for life sciences.
At the same time, society is increasingly concerned about the social and ethical consequences of advances in knowledge and technologies and the conditions in which fundamental choices are (or are not) made in this field. These questions place research and scientific progress at the heart of the political debate concerning the future of our society and our economy.
In this perspective, there is a recognised need for an interactive dialogue between scientists and physicians, patients, ethicists, lawyers and the public at large – for socially responsible choices, shared understanding and greater public participation.
The conference on “Ethics and biomedical research- the process of balancing benefits and risks” organised under the Swedish presidency (1) in June this year was a welcome opportunity to further the European debate on bio-ethical values. The conference illustrated the process of handling ethical dilemmas in biomedicine by reviewing the ethical debate on three current examples, which have led to strong opinions in society, new guidelines and in some cases legislative proposals. The three examples considered were xeno-transplantation, bio-banks and stem cells, each representing different stages in the process (2) .
The growing public concern about scientific progress can only be met through a rational assessment of the benefits and risks of new knowledge and new technology and through an open and structured debate on its scientific, economic, social and ethical dimensions. Scientists need to get out of their laboratories and actively participate in this public dialogue. Science is a social reality. It exists in and for society. Informing the public is not enough. We need to learn to listen to the concerns expressed and to respect the diversity of ethical values and beliefs which characterise Europe.
Europe will only succeed in reaping the full benefits of scientific and technological progress if we work together better in meeting scientific challenges that increasingly transcend national boundaries. This is the objective of realising a European Research Area (3) , as called for by the Heads of State and Governments at the Lisbon and Stockholm summits.
If there is large political support for building the European Research Area, there is an equally large and growing concern among the public about the social and ethical consequences of rapid scientific progress. It is important to acknowledge this growing concern. Not everything that is scientifically possible and technologically feasible is necessarily desirable or admissible. Several aspects of new technology call our basic values and principles into question. Respect for life and the individual, for example, in connection with cloning.
As much as Europe needs to organise itself in research at a European level, we need to also organise an open two-way communication between science and society at the European level that can bring Europeans together around common values. A European Research Area must by necessity be built on a European area of shared values, including ethical values. Many people recognise that Europe has a common basis of moral values, just like Europe has its particular social model compared to other parts of the world. The European Charter of Fundamental Rights is a first political expression at EU level of these common values.
Developments in life sciences will increasingly find their way into our society and our daily life. It would be unethical for the European legislator not to consider the ethical aspects of such developments with regard to research policy, the internal market, trade and development policy, etc. However, the ethical debate should not constitute an unnecessary obstacle to scientific and technological progress. The ethical aspects must be integrated together with the social, economic and scientific considerations.
The Commission’s aim is to combine scientific development with a clear statement of the values shared by Europeans. Defining a European ethical agenda is essential if Europe wants to project its fundamental ethical values onto the world stage. Ethics and biomedical research have been debated over the years and organisations such as the Council of Europe have been very active in addressing ethical questions from a European perspective. Already in 1991, the European Commission established a “Group of advisers on the ethical implications of biotechnology”. The Commission has recently reinforced the mandate of this independent and pluralistic “European Group on Ethics” (4) . The opinions of the “European Group on Ethics” have provided the basis for the European institutions to develop progressively a number of ethical principles that guide European research programmes. The Commission has also developed a transparent practice of ethical evaluation of research projects (5) .
It also became obvious that an innovative research programme in Life Sciences could not be implemented in a responsible way without at the same time addressing and analysing the possible ethical, legal and social implications of the research and its applications. Therefore, research in bio-ethics has been an integrate part of successive community research programmes. About 45 million have been spent on research in ethics. In particular, the Life Sciences programmes (6) have and are addressing trans- and multidisciplinary research on issues such as fundamental and applied values in biomedicine, protection of the human embryo and foetus, personal data protection, legal protection of biotechnological interventions, animal welfare, the use of genetic information, cloning, xeno-transplantation and recently stem cell research. These actions are effectively building bridges between the “two cultures” of humanities and natural sciences, helping to create infrastructures and interactive databases, drafting codes of conduct and helping facilitate a pluralistic public debate. The Commission is probably the only body that has supported ethics research at the international level.
There is now a need to build on these achievements and reinforce our efforts at a time when the evolution of our society is largely driven by extremely rapid scientific and technological progress.
At the level of the European Union, we face the challenge of:
First, refining and agreeing common ethical principles that can guide research in Europe. The Commission’s proposal for the Specific Programmes under the next Framework Programme (7) published on 30 May 2001 contains such ethical guidelines to a certain degree of detail. In line with the spirit of the European Research Area, I hope that the discussions in Council and the European Parliament on the next Framework Programme will provide an opportunity to work towards a European area of shared ethical values.
Second, in order to command broad respect throughout society, it is essential that the discussions on such ethical principles and guidelines become part of a broad public debate for which we have to design the appropriate framework. I would like to cite as a first but important step the European Parliament’s recent initiative to establish a temporary committee on human genetics and other new technologies in modern medicine.
A democratic debate on bio-ethics will require increased public understanding of life sciences and greater dialogue with the principal actors, namely the scientists. The Commission is co-funding initiatives that aim at fostering a public dialogue on life sciences in an innovative way, and it will continue to so in the future. An open conference entitled “Stem cells: a future therapy?” is taking place under the aegis of the Life Sciences High Level Group (8) on 18-19 December 2001.
A third area of activity is the funding and co-ordination of multidisciplinary research into the ethics of science conducted in Europe. Cross-border co-operation on research in ethics will lead to a better mutual understanding and respect of ethical and cultural divergences in Europe and contribute to informed decision-making by democratically elected representatives.
A fourth area of activity is the fostering of more structured links between ethics committees at national and European level, including those existing in the candidate countries for accession to the European Union.
Finally, we need to work actively in international organisations and in other fora to assert Europe’s socio-economic and ethical values at a world level.
At the Lisbon summit in 2000, European Heads of State and Government set the target to become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world. In this context, the Commission is currently developing a strategic vision for life sciences and biotechnology in the next decade. It will seek to cover in a comprehensive way all key issues in relation to the life sciences, including the issue of public perception and the ethical questions. The objective is to develop a strategy that creates a positive environment for biotechnology in Europe.
Present generations must indeed exploit the opportunities afforded by new technology but they must apply it in a responsible manner in harmony with the fundamental values of society. If biotechnology is to meet the great expectations we have for it, its uses must be ethically acceptable. Europe has a strong scientific base for the development of biotechnology and for the use of such new technologies for the benefit of patients, society and the environment. Public interest and contradictory debates will continue to drive the successful introduction of new technology. This can only be achieved through a transparent decision-making process where the public can participate and influence choices of direction. New or supplementary guidelines or legislation must be based on the kind of broad social agreement that can only be reached by open, two-way communication between science and society.
Europe is characterised by a diversity of ethical values and beliefs. This cultural richness is valuable and must be regarded as an asset that strengthens Europe. We must therefore allow a pluralistic debate to take place and promote the free exchange of thoughts on these issues.
Philippe Busquin
Membro della Commissione Europea
Commissione Europea, Ricerca DG
NOTE:
2 In order to feed the debate, the European Commission, DG Research, has prepared a survey concerning the opinions from national ethics committees and existing national legislation in relation to xeno-transplantation, bio-banks and human stem cells. This documents is available from Line Matthiessen, European Commission, DG Research, 200 rue de la Loi (SDME 9/08), B-1049 Brussels).
3 http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/area.html
4http://europa.eu.int/comm/european_group_ethics/index_en. htm
5 http://www.cordis.lu/life/src/ptc_sel.htm#ethical
7 http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/pdf/com-2001-279-en.pdf
8 http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/quality-of-life/genetics/en/13.html
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Philippe
Busquin
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