Hello and welcome to the first Brussels News Updates of 2019!

2019 will be a particularly special year for science and chemistry, as it has been declared the International Year of the Periodic Table (IYPT2019). And January will already be a busy month of celebrations: on 22 January, participants will converge on the European Parliament in Brussels as EuChemS discusses the history and meaning of the Periodic Table, as well as the unique Periodic Table designed to launch a discussion on the use of endangered elements. A week later, the scientific community will meet in Paris for the IYPT2019 Opening Ceremony on 29 January – more details below!

This new year is also set to witness some major discussions and transformations for the chemical sciences. The debate over Plan S, the open access implementation plan put forward by a coalition of national funding agencies, will continue, with the deadline for feedback just two weeks away. At the political level, 2019 will witness the negotiations surrounding Horizon Europe either carried forward or bogged down if sides are unable to come to a final agreement. The upcoming European elections risk pushing the debate aside as Members of the European Parliament enter into full election mode (don’t forget you can vote!). 2019 will also see the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union – an exit whose consequences for science in Europe are still unknown.

So, scroll down for all the latest news and activities keeping us busy! And on behalf of EuChemS, we wish you a very happy International Year of the Periodic Table!

You can read the full newsletter online here. 

International Year of the Periodic Table - IYPT2019

Proclaimed the International Year of the Periodic Table by the United Nations General Assembly and UNESCO, 2019 will be the 150^th anniversary of Dmitri Mendeleev’s discovery of the Periodic Table. 

The IYPT2019 will be launched at an Opening Ceremony in Paris on 29 January 2019. Some of the speakers include Ben Feringa, Youri Oganessian and Sir Martyn Poliakoff. Pilar Goya, EuChemS President will also take to the stage and present the EuChemS Periodic Table as well as unveil the new video game developed by EuChemS – which will be available to try out for the very first time at the event. Read more about it here!

IYPT2019 and element scarcity

Celebrating the IYPT2019 also means looking at what the chemical elements mean to us today. EuChemS recently developed and unveiled a unique Periodic Table which depicts the abundance (on a logarithmic scale) of chemical elements. On 22 January, representatives from the chemical sciences, as well as from the European Parliament and the European Commission will discuss the Periodic Table at a EuChemS event in the European Parliament, chaired by MEP Catherine Stihler. Read our full debrief of the upcoming event here. 

Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU sets out its priorities

From January until June 2019, Romania will hold the Presidency of the Council of the EU. Romania’s presidency intersects with the finalisation of a number of important policy issues, significant political events (Brexit), as well as the upcoming European Parliament election in May. Indeed, over the next 5 months, the future multiannual financial framework (the EU’s long-term budget for 2021-2027) which includes Horizon Europe, will be a significant focus of debate. Read the full article here. 

Horizon Europe and Brexit

Science Business has reported that a number of EU politicians have butted in on what a future relationship with the UK should look like post-Brexit - resumed to an 'all or nothing' point of view. Click here for the debrief. 

But that's not all! This edition also has articles on: 

Clean Energy Package moves forward 
Glyphosate risk assessment report 'copy-pasted' from industry contributions
Multi-billion-euro investment in the port of Antwerp by British chemical company Ineos

Read the full article online.

OTHER EVENTS

Food Safety in the EU: Maintaining High Standards and Ensuring Transparency of Information
29 January 2019
Brussels, Belgium
Website: http://bit.ly/2AN1ozp

International R&D: Horizon Europe and the world
5 February 2019
Brussels, Belgium
Website: http://bit.ly/2Dezw8R

Science meets Parliament: What role for science in the 21^st century policy-making
6 – 7 February 2019
Brussels, Belgium
Website: http://bit.ly/2FGiOka

Raw Materials and Environment 2019
19 – 20 February 2019
Berlin, Germany
Website: http://bit.ly/2RPbppr

Read the full BNU newsletter here