Brussels News Updates

10 October, 8 What's new at EuChemS, Brussels News Updates

EuChemS at the 3rd Zero Pollution Stakeholder Platform

The European Chemical Society was represented by Secretary General Nineta Hrastelj and Executive Board Member Ioannis Katsoyiannis at the 3rd meeting of the Zero Pollution Stakeholder Platform, held in Brussels on 11 October, at the European Commission. The platform, set up jointly by the Commission and the Committee of the Regions, aims to promote the Commission’s zero pollution agenda, and to allow stakeholders to influence its key policy aspects. The key topics of the 3rd meeting – co-chaired by Veronica Manfredi, Director of DG Environment, Markku Markkula, Member of the Committee of the Regions and Patrick Child, Deputy Director-General of DG Environment – were, urban and regional zero pollution actions, promoting the Zero Pollution Performance Scoreboard and phasing out pollution from pharmaceuticals in cities and regions.

EuChemS was invited to be a part of the platform, consisting of stakeholders from academia, industry, health, agriculture and many more, in March 2022, and also participated in the 2nd meeting on 25 April.

During the most recent meeting, Ioannis Katsoyiannis contributed on behalf of EuChemS, with regards to the topic of regulation of pharmaceuticals in waters and wastewaters of Europe. He highlighted the importance of the metabolites of the organic pollutants existing in waters. In addition, he emphasized the capacity and willingness of EuChemS’ network of European chemists to contribute to the discussion and solutions on the topic.

You can learn more about the platform – which is one of EuchemS’s many policy advisory activities – here, and watch the recording of the 11 October meeting here.

 

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 1 European Highlights, 10 October, Brussels News Updates

COP27 and Methane Emissions in focus for Committees

On 3 October, the members of the ENVI Committee adopted a resolution, calling G20 countries to adopt more ambitious climate goals ahead the UN COP27 Climate Conference, to be held in Egypt next month. The resolution was adopted in the context of the worrisome results announced on COP26 in Glasgow, which show that current targets will not be enough to achieve the goals set out in the Paris Agreement. In addition, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine influences the resolution as well, as Europe’s energy independence from Russia also calls for urgent emphasis on alternative energy sources.

On 10 October the members of ENVI and ITRE also discussed the joint draft report on the proposed regulation for the reduction of methane emissions in the energy sector. In September 2021 the EU and the U.S. announced the Global Methane Pledge: a political commitment to reduce global methane emissions across all methane-emitting sectors by 30% by 2030. The proposed changes include improvement of detection and monitoring techniques, means to utilize leaks otherwise lost as an energy source, streamlining industrial methodology, and increasing transparency to improve market-stakeholder relations.

The Committees noted that an estimated 180 million cubic meters of gas could be earned if all methane leaks were eliminated, as there is currently no legislation requiring methane emitting companies to repair leaks therefore hey may not be aware of them. An amendment to the proposed regulation to impose these obligations is expected to improve health, environment, and benefit industry. In addition, stricter monitoring requirements could incentivise innovation.

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Stricter limits to be set on POPs

On the 4 October plenaries, the Parliament adopted a notion setting stricter limits on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). The ENVI committee adopted the draft resolution back in April, following the Council’s call for restricting POPs.

The rules will be adopted by the European Council formally in the near future, after which they will be published in the EU Official Journal. They will apply in six months following the publication.

The new rules recently backed by the parliament state that products which contain POPs above a certain threshold are deemed to be harmful for human life and environment, therefore they will have to be destroyed instead of being recycled. The limit for PBDE brominated flame retardants is being reduced in accordance to the new rules, to 200 mg/kg, (albeit it may change depending on years after entry into force), while for dioxins and furans, the threshold will be limited to 5 μg/kg.

The new regulation will be in line with international obligations, such as the Stockholm Convention. Its supporters say that it will assist in achieving a truly circular economy, while protecting our health and environment.

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 1 European Highlights, 10 October, Brussels News Updates

European Researcher’s Night promotes science

On the night of 30 September, the European Researchers Night took place. The Europe-wide science communication and promotion event is primarily aimed at the younger generation – meaning that in all Horizon Europe associated countries, fun, family-oriented and engaging educational activities were held by scientific organisations. The Researcher’s Night, taking place yearly, on the last Friday of each September, is sponsored by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions.

As 2022 is designated as the European Year of Youth, the launch of the “Researchers at School” initiative was also announced, and implemented in many of the programmes of the Researcher’s Night. This new initiative from the Commission aims to further the same goals as the Researcher’s Night has all year round – popularising science amongst young pupils through direct interaction with researchers. The project is set to involve 2400 primary and secondary schools over two years to hold exchanges on the topic of science, technology, arts and mathematics (STEAM).

These events also emphasize tangible scientific goals, such as how science can help in combating societal challenges, as well as achieving SDGs and an overall healthier European and global environment for the next generation. The researchers at school initiative also aims to reach out to researchers who are interested in getting involved.

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 1 European Highlights, 10 October, Brussels News Updates

Chemistry Nobel Prize awarded for “Click Chemistry”

On 5 October, the recipients of the 2022 Nobel Prize for Chemistry were announced: Carolyn R. Bertozzi and K. Barry Sharpless from the United States as well as Morten Meldal from Denmark received the honour jointly.

The prestigious scientific award was given in recognition of discovering the foundations for a simple method of connecting molecule blocks together relying on the simplicity of connecting azides with alkynes. This is an achievement on a functional field of chemistry, dubbed “click chemistry”.

This is considered as a significant achievement, as it provides a potential for the creation of complex, high fidelity molecular structures without the often cumbersome need for detailed planning and optimised conditions. According to the Swedish Academy of Sciences, “even if click chemistry cannot provide exact copies of natural molecules, it will be possible to find molecules that fulfil the same functions. Combining simple chemical building blocks makes it possible to create an almost endless variety of molecules: (…) click chemistry could generate pharmaceuticals that were as fit for purpose as those found in nature, and which could be produced on an industrial scale.”

You can learn more about the technical process of “click chemistry” here, and find additional details on the Nobel Prize recipients and ceremonies here.

 

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 1 European Highlights, 10 October, Brussels News Updates

European Cohesion highlighted at EU Regions week

The milestone 20th edition of the European Regions Week, an annual, large scale event focused on the cohesion of, and cooperation between the regions of Europe, was held between 10 and 13 of October.

The event, comprising of more than 260 workshops, sessions, and participatory labs in total, hosted participants and speakers from various backgrounds: regional political and administrative representatives, academics, and experts from industry. The sessions were similarly versatile. The key topics were ranging from digital and green transition to youth empowerment with subtopics concerning a variety of specific fields, including research, innovation and regional cohesion in knowledge valorisation as well. These events were held in numerous European countries, and while a fair share of them were accessible in person, all of them could be viewed online. Online interaction and social media exposure was emphasized to promote participation all across Europe.

The opening ceremony, attended by EuChemS, was held in the European Parliament in Brussels. High profile speakers addressed the participants: amongst others, the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola, emphasized the role of young elected representatives, as well as President of the European Committee of the Regions Vasco Alves Cordeiro and Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira, discussed regional cohesion, focusing on the highlights of the 8th Cohesion report. In addition, many regional representatives also addressed the achievements and challenges of their respective regions.

The session “Zero Pollution: a driver for sustainability” of the EU Regions Week have was connected to the “Zero Pollution Stakeholder Platform”. EuChemS is an invited stakeholder of this platform, which held its 3rd meeting on the same day.

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EU Research and Innovation Days took place online

The 4th edition of the European Research and Innovation days (RIDays) was held on 28-29 September, organised by the European Commission, which considers it as its flagship Research and Innovation event. The overarching topic of the RiDays was the EU Innovation agenda, and the role of youth in R&I – a theme connected to 2022 being the European Year of Youth.

This year’s edition was held as a digital only event, consisting of a wide range of workshops and panel discussions streamed online. While this limited participant interaction to a degree, the organisers argued that digital events can achieve a wider reach, and attempted to ensure that the opportunities for interaction are provided by the online platform.

The numerous discussions were revolving aroundthe central role of education and higher education, gender balance in STEM and the importance science communication and science policy – many of which are also EuChemS priorities. During the event, the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (COARA) was announced. The coalition aims to reform research assessment on qualitative and impact-based grounds. R&I stakeholder organisations were invited to sign the COARA agreement.

During the closing ceremony, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Mariya Gabriel emphasized key drivers in achieving the European Commission’s priorities. According to the Commissioner, RI have an enormous potential to address Global challenges that can only be realized by coordination, cooperation and impact-driven research policy.

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09 September 2022, 4 Calls for Funding and Awards, Brussels News Updates

Calls for funding and awards

EuChemS Awards

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

ERC Calls

The following European Research Council (ERC) calls for funding are open:

Horizon Europe Calls

IUPAC Call

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09 September 2022, 3 Consultations and Roadmaps, Brussels News Updates

European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) public consultations

A number of consultations put forward by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) are currently open.

You can take a look at it all here.

EuChemS is an official accredited stakeholder of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

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09 September 2022, 3 Consultations and Roadmaps, Brussels News Updates

European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) public consultations

A number of consultations put forward by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) are currently open.

In addition, a range of Restriction proposals, Testing proposals and Harmonised classification and labelling consultations are also available – we invite you to take a look at them here.

EuChemS is an official accredited stakeholder of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).

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09 September 2022, 3 Consultations and Roadmaps, Brussels News Updates

European Commission Public Consultations and Roadmaps

A number of consultations and roadmaps put forward by the European Commission are currently open:

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 09 September 2022, 8 What's new at EuChemS, Brussels News Updates

EuChemS Awards nominations opening up

Nominations for the EuChemS Gold Medal, the EuChemS Lecture Award, the EuChemS Awards for Service and the EuChemS Historical Landmark Awards are open.

The EuChemS Gold Medal rewards exceptional achievements of one scientist working in the field of chemistry in Europe every 2 years.

The EuChemS Lecture Award is a honour given every year to a junior scientist working in chemistry in a country with a EuChemS Member Organisation, and

The EuChemS Awards for Service, is looking for nominees who possess an outstanding commitment with regard to fostering chemistry and molecular sciences in Europe, and the goals of EuChemS.

The EuChemS Historical Landmark Award aims to emphasize that Chemistry is an integral part of the Cultural Heritage of Europe.

We are looking forward to receiving all the excellent nominations. You will find the details on our website, as well as in the “calls for funding and awards” section of this newsletter.

All the nominations above are open until 19 December, 18:00 CET.

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 09 September 2022, 8 What's new at EuChemS, Brussels News Updates

EuChemS meets in Lisbon – annual meetings

Lisbon hosted the General Assembly and Professional Network meetings of EuChemS, that took place on 26 and 27 August.

On the afternoon of 26 August, the key topics were, amongst others, updates on what is new at EuChemS, policy work, projects, communications, financial matters, Professional Networks and EYCN updates. In addition, the new President-Elect, Angela Agostiano and the new Treasurer, Hans Peter Lüthi were elected. EuChemS welcomes them in their new roles, starting in January 2023, Participants thanked for the service of Pilar Goya, current Vice-President and Eckhart Rühl, current Treasurer, whose mandates are approaching their end.

The following day, 27 August, participants discussed a wide range of topics, including, but not limited to awards and strategic issues. The day concluded with the Professional Networks’ annual meeting, which was attended by the representatives of EuChemS  professional networks. Representatives introduced their respective PNs, and discussed various topics, and Celine Marmion updated the participants on the status of the ECC9, expected to be held in Dublin, Ireland, in 2024.

 

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A look back at the successful ECC8

On the afternoon of 1 September, Floris Rutjes, President of the European Chemical Society, and Artur Silva, President of the Portuguese Chemical Society, formally closed the 8th EuChemS Chemistry Congress. We were glad to see that the closing ceremony followed a successful, large scale, international congress – finally in person, after a delay of two years.

Activities related to EuChemS played an important role from the beginning. The European Chemistry Gold Medal Awardees from 2020 and 2022, Michele Parrinello, and Dame Carol Robinson respectively, were receiving their awards at the opening ceremony of the congress, on 28 August. After the ceremony, the exhibition grounds opened, where participants could visit the impressive EuChemS booth to learn more about our activities.

Our booth was visited by high profile, international stakeholders from the chemistry world including, but not limited to representatives of ACS, RSC, GDC, EFMC and IUPAC, with whom we discussed agreements, avenues for future international cooperation and other strategic objectives. Apart from strategic meetings, many visitors were just interested in EuChemS – amongst them, activities such as the demonstration of the EuChemS Periodic Table and the EuChemS Quiz were especially successful.

Apart from our awards and booth, EuChemS also organised two successful sessions. During the Panel Discussion titled Chemists’ contributions to the global approach for tackling pollution, numerous high-profile speakers discussed the science policy implications of the 5th UN Environment Assembly, with a focus on chemistry. In the session Culture and Policy in Science, speakers from social science backgrounds used their unique lenses to examine the scientific process, which led to a lively discussion with the audience.

We were happy to welcome all participants, and we are looking forward meeting you all again at the ECC9, which will be held in Dublin, Ireland, in 2024. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube to stay up to date!

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ERC Grantees to collaborate with Thai researchers thanks to new partnership

Thailand and the European Union launched a new initiative on 9 September, aiming to promote cooperation between researchers of the EU and the country. The agreement is pioneering collaboration between the EU and the ASEAN region, as this is the first arrangement that will enable cooperation between Thai researchers and European Research Council (ERC) grantees.

Researchers supported by the Thai Programme Management Unit for Human Resources & Institutional Development, Research and Innovation (PMU-B) of the National Higher Education, Science, Research & Innovation Policy Council will be able to participate in the work of ERC research groups, given mutual interest and/or similarity of research topics. The PMU-B, according to its administrative arrangement, will facilitate coordination as well as their long or short-term research trips.

The initiative was signed in Bangkok by European Union Ambassador to Thailand, David Daly, and the Director of PMU-B Sompong Klaynongsruang. ERC President Maria Leptin attended the ceremony remotely, stating that“We welcome this new agreement that is fully in line with the ERC’s openness to the world.” Prof Leptin’s statement illustrates the ambitions ERC fosters to establish Europe as a global research hub, relying on worldwide outreach. Implementing Arrangements between the council and numerous research organisations in South and North America, Asia and Africa are already in place. The agreement with Thailand is to be an important part of the global outreach strategy.

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ITRE meets on Innovation Council and REPower EU

Returning from the summer recess, the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) met again on 1 September.

During its first post-recess meeting, the Committee focused on two key topics: the Implementation report on the European Innovation Council (EIC) and the REPowerEU initiative in context of recovery and resilience plans.

Regarding the former, rapporteur Christian Ehler presented a draft, in which he identifies key issues with regards to the European Innovation Council. Firstly, the draft report states that the management of the programme leaves room for improvement, secondly, it highlights that the funding is lacking. In his report, Ehler calls for reimagining the management mode for the EIC alongside reassessing the implementation of the EIC Fund.

Following the demonstration of the draft report of Ehler, Dan Nica presented a draft opinion on the Commission’s proposal to amend the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) Regulation to coordinate it with the REPowerEU initiative. The amendments would modify the RFF regulation in a targeted way to integrate REPower EU chapters in the existing Recovery and Resilience Plans of member states.

The following meeting of the ITRE Committee is expected to be held on 26 September.

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Science/Business initiative to balance innovation between regions

On 7 September, Science/Business, a media organisation and interdisciplinary network of research, policy and industrial organisations, held a public conference in Brussels that aimed at exploring avenues of Research & Industry (R&I) cooperation.

The key focus of the conference was Horizon Europe’s widening agenda and its plans for a European Research Area, both of which aims to even out R&I performance between the eastern and western member states. The event considered the context of the crisis caused by the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war, and its implications on scientific collaboration. A number of high-profile speakers participated from versatile backgrounds covering legislative fields, academia and research as well as industry. Regions within and beyond the borders of Europe were represented: apart from EU countries, speakers from Ukraine and Asia were also present.

Over the course of the event, Science/Business launched its “Widening” initiative. As part of the launch, a Q&A was held with Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Mariya Gabriel. The “widening” initiative aims to be a tracking tool that surveys the development and growth of the Eastern European region’s public and private R&D enterprises. In the process, it also intends to identify and highlight potential challenges, with the ultimate goal of assisting to bridge Eastern and Western Europe in terms of innovation.

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Commission Publishes Environmental Implementation Review

On 8 September, the Commission published the third Environmental Implementation Review (EIR), a regular reporting tool designed to improve the implementation of EU environmental laws and policies. This tool contains defined common trends at EU level and shows information on the state of play in the implementation of EU environmental law, based on 27 individual countries.

The state of play in main environmental policy, according to the Review, shows that the biodiversity continues to decline due to the poor habitat conditions. In addition water management progresses slowly, mostly due to River Basin Management Plans, flood risk management, the implementation of rules for drinking water and urban wastewater management. Finally, the state of Circular economy and air quality also leaves room for improvement.

While overall climate legislation shows a good level of implementation, more intensive efforts, and agreements are needed to implement the package of measures required for meeting the -55% target established in the Climate Law for 2030.

The need for investments across the environmental objectives and priorities are vast and many Member States have to ensure better financing and implementation of enablers. For this, adapting and reinforcing Member States’ administrative capacities to implement the environmental governance is critical.

Since 2017, the EIR works alongside the Commission to support Member States to better apply the EIR agreed rules. Furthermore, the Commission can take legal action if the agreed rules aren’t properly implemented.

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Debates over Horizon Europe budget continue

As the finalisation of the 2023 EU budget approaches, clashes between the European Council and the European Parliament over the funds for the Horizon Europe programme continue.

The Commission’s proposition in June allocated 12.3 Billion EUR to the programme, which was an increase of 100 million EUR compared to the previous year. However, the Heads of States in the European Council amended the proposed budget by reducing it with more than 600 million Euros, which would make the total sum less than the 2022 funding overall. Numerous members of the European Parliament, however, expressed their disapproval towards the proposed cuts.

ITRE Chair Christian Ehler is amongst those who strongly oppose the cuts that would reduce the funding of multiple research and innovation related initiatives, such as the European Research Council and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions as well as research infrastructures in general. According to Science/Business, he referred to the budget debate as a “ritual absurdity”, emphasizing the “draconian” nature of the cuts. Alongside Ehler, rapporteur for the 2023 budget, Nicolae Ștefănuță also against the proposed cuts, calling them inappropriate and highlighting that a number of deserving projects already lack funding.

The Parliament foreseeably will settle on a final position on the budget after 10 October, after which it will enter into negotiations with member states. Before this, ITRE will hold a vote on its position on the budget, on 3 October.

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