Transparency and Participation in the Face of Scientific Uncertainty (online)
The EU Treaties contain a clear call for an open, transparent and regular dialogue between EU institutions and bodies, and representative associations and civil society. Although openness and its corollaries of transparency and participation are foundational values of the EU, theoretical and practical challenges still persist and hamper the effective fulfilment of their potential.
The role of participation and transparency is particularly thorny in the face of the so-called “wicked problems”, such as climate change or risk regulation, characterised by incomplete or contradictory knowledge and an inherent interconnectedness with other problems. In these cases, transparency and participation certainly increase the legitimacy and acceptability of decision-making since they allow to include a wider variety of values and perspectives, and favour compliance and implementation of the decisions collectively discussed. However, civil society is not immune from the influence of post-factual narratives and from the increasing contestation of expertise as an impartial source of knowledge, which participatory mechanisms can further amplify. Especially complex decisions based on a certain amount of scientific uncertainty, such as the authorisations of vaccines or of pesticides, have often been the arena for controversies and contestation of EU decision-making.
This conference will address the role of transparency and participation of civil society in situations characterised by wicked problems of risk regulation as a way to strengthen the effectiveness of an open EU decision-making.
Programme on 27 January
Times are GMT (London time) | |
15.00h |
Opening of the conference by Kathryn Wright (York University) and Mariolina Eliantonio (Maastricht University) |
15.10h |
Panel I - Participation in Policy Making: Preparatory Phase |
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17.00h | End of first day |
Programme on 28 January
Times are GMT (London time) | |
09.00 |
Keynote speech by Emily O'Reilly, the European Ombudsman |
09.15 |
Panel II - Transparency and Participation in Policy Making: Negotiation and Adoption |
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10.15 | Coffee Break |
10.30 |
Panel III - Transparency and Participation in the Implementation and Evaluation Phase |
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12.15 | Closing of the conference |
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