Health: questioning expertise deficient evaluation and conflicts of interest

ALDE MEPs Corinne Lepage (France), Frédérique Ries (France), and Fiona Hall (UK) co-organised a seminar, "Health: questioning expertise deficient evaluation and conflicts of interest" wiith CRIIGEN, Foundation of Citizen Science and ENSSER on 4 March 2010. This seminar explored ways to guarantee a more transparent and pluralist scientific expertise, free from conflicts of interest. The seminar examined four examples of policy decisions (drugs, GMOs, pesticides and chemicals) for which the scientific advise of experts was important to the political process. However, expert advise may also have lead to negative results for the environment and public health.

On 1 April 2010, Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) published a meeting report of this seminar, “The influence of industry ‘expertise’ on EU health decisions.” The report examines the composition of high level advisory bodies to the European Commission concerning health issues. Speakers shared examples of corporate influence in EU decision making, including David Gee from the European Environment Agency, Elena Pasca from the Fondation Sciences Citoyennes, and French molecular biologist Gilles-Eric Séralini. Corporate Europe Observatory also highlighted industry’s influence over expert bodies, such as expert groups, technology platforms and EU expert agencies.

The seminar ended calling for greater action in preventing conflicts of interest. Transparency alone is not enough to resolve this problem. Another speaker proposed that expert opinions should be published prior to a decision being made public. Ms. Lepage (ALDE France) emphasised that public funding is to be used in the public interest, to protect health and the environment. Public funding should not serve commercial interests, for example the creation of new products. The CEO Report ’’The influence of industry ‘expertise’ on EU health decisions’’ is available here.

For more information

Health: questioning expertise deficient evaluation and conflicts of interest

The influence of industry “expertise” on EU health decisions

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