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The Changing Face of Risk Governance: Moving from Precaution to Smarter Regulation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Paul Rübig
Paul Rübig*
Affiliation:
Science and Technology Options Assessment (STOA)
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Extract

STOA, the European Parliament's Technology Assessment body, which I had the honour to chair, has a mission to: (i) assess the impact of introducing and promoting new technologies, and (ii) identify the relevant policy options. In the context of its work, STOA has to address many different issues. One of the issues deserving STOA's attention is the changing face of risk governance: “Moving from precaution to smarter regulation”.

This is currently being debated on various levels, including that of the WTO (World Trade Organization), where science-based decision-making has always played an important role. The JRC (Joint Research Centre) is very active in this field and has developed, among others, a science-based approach to risk assessment in the area of nanotechnology. With the comitology procedure becoming more and more important, the European Parliament and its members have to assume their role with respect to risk management and explain it to the public.

Type
Symposium on the European Parliament’s Role in Risk Governance
Information
European Journal of Risk Regulation , Volume 3 , Issue 2 , June 2012 , pp. 145 - 146
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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References

1 See the Panel and Appellate Body reports and other relevant documents on the “EC Hormones” (“EC-Measures Concerning Meat and Meat Products (Hormones)”) and GMO (“EC – Measures Affecting the Approval and Marketing of Biotech Products”) disputes, available on the WTO website.

The US complaint in “EC Hormones” is available on the Internet at <http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dispu_e/cases_e/ds26_e.htm> (last accessed on 13 April 2012); Canada’s complaint in “EC Hormones” is available on the Internet at <http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dispu_e/cases_e/ds48_e.htm> (last accessed on 13 April 2012);

In the GMOs case, the US complaint is available on the Internet at <http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dispu_e/cases_e/ds291_e.htm> (last accessed on 13 April 2012); Canada's complaint is available on the Internet at <http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dispu_e/cases_e/ds292_e.htm> (last accessed on 13 April 2012); Argentina's complaint is available on the Internet at <http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dispu_e/cases_e/ds293_e.htm> (last accessed on 13 April 2012).

The assistance of Ms Christiane Wolff, Counsellor, Agriculture and Commodities Division, WTO, in identifying these references is gratefully acknowledged.

2 See indicatively: Ueli Aebi, Elke Anklam, Anders Baun et al., “Impact of Engineered Nanomaterials on Health: Considerations for Benefit-Risk Assessment”, EASAC Policy Report No.15 – JRC Reference Report (2011); Aschberger, Karin, Micheletti, Christian, Sokull-Kluettgen, Birgit and Christensen, Frans M., “Analysis of currently available data for characterising the risk of engineered nanomaterials to the environment and human health. – Lessons learned from four case studies”, 37(6) Environment International (2011), pp. 1143–1156 CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Morris, Jeff, Willis, Jim, De Martinis, Domenico, et al., “Science policy considerations for responsible nanotechnology decisions”, 6(2) Nature Nanotechnology (2011), pp. 73–77 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed; and further references therein. The assistance of Dr. Hermann Stamm, Head of Unit ‘Nanobiosciences’, Institute for Health and Consumer Protection, JRC, in identifying these references is gratefully acknowledged.

3 Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Official Journal C 83 of 30.3.2010, p. 47, available on the Internet at <http://eurlex.europa.eu/JOHtml.do?uri=OJ:C:2010:083:SOM:EN:HTML> (last accessed 13 April 2012).