In accordance with its legal mandate, the German Ethics Council shall address the questions of ethics, society, science, medicine and law and the probable consequences for the individual and society that result in connection with research and development, in particular in the field of the life sciences and their application to humanity. Its duties include informing the public and encouraging discussion in society, preparing opinions and recommendations for political and legislative action for the Federal Government and the German Bundestag as well as cooperating with national ethics councils and comparable institutions of other states and of international organisations.
The German Ethics Council is independent in its work and bound only by the mandate given to it by the Ethics Council Act. The 26 members of the German Ethics Council shall exercise their office in person and independently. They may not belong either to the Federal Parliament or the Federal Government or to a Federal States’ Parliament or Government respectively. Moreover, the members of the Council shall represent scientific, medical, theological, ethical, social, economic and legal concerns in a particular way and ensure a variety of ethical approaches and a pluralist spectrum of opinions.
In order to inform the public and encourage discussion in society, the Council organises public events and provides information about its activities on its website, in its newsletter and annual report. Besides a series of public evening events called „Bioethics Forum“ and its annual meeting – both taking place in Berlin – the Council also organises public events outside of Berlin.
The German Ethics Council chooses the topics for its work programme on the basis of its own determination. However, the Council may also work on a certain topic on request of the Federal Government or the German Bundestag. So far, the Federal Government has asked the German Ethics Council in three cases to prepare an Opinion.
The plenary meetings of the Council are held once every month in Berlin. These meetings can be held publicly or in closed session. In order to prepare its Opinions, the Council establishes working groups that prepare draft texts to be submitted to the plenary meeting for discussion and eventually presented for adoption by the Council. Also, if deemed necessary, the Council may invite external experts to its working groups. However, this cooperation is limited in time and not equivalent to membership in the Council. Consequently, the cooperation with the respective expert ends after publication of the Opinion.
Opinions of the German Ethics Council are published. If, in the drafting process, members have a dissenting view, they may express this in the Opinion.
In accordance with the Ethics Council Act, the Council shall report to the German Bundestag and the Federal Government once every year about its activities and inform about the current societal debate. The annual report – as well as all other publications - is available on the Council’s website.