26th Forum of the National Ethics Councils (NEC) and the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE)

On 18 and 19 November 2020, the European Commission and the German Ethics Council organise the 26^th Forum of National Ethics Councils (NEC) and the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE). The event takes place as a non-public online conference.

The forum focuses on ethical issues concerning artificial intelligence, germline intervention and dealing with the Corona pandemic.

A Bioethics Forum on the question of vaccines distribution in the context of the corona pandemic is part of the programme. The Bioethics Forum on 18 November 2020 is a public online event, broadcast via livestream on our website. It is held in English and translated into German.

Wednesday, 18 November 2020

Welcome addresses
Alena Buyx · Chair of the German Ethics Council
Veronika von Messling · Director-General for Life Sciences at the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, representing Federal Minister of Education and Research Anja Karliczek
Jean-Eric Paquet · Director-General for the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation

Long-term Dealing with the Corona Pandemic, Part I
Chair: Julian Nida-Rümelin · Vice Chair of the German Ethics Council

Joint Advice of the EGE, the GCSA and the Special Advisor on COVID-19 to the President of the EC on Pandemic Management and Preparedness
Christiane Woopen · Chair of the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies
Presentation (pdf)

Council of Europe Activities
Laurence Lwoff · Head of the Bioethics Unit of the Council of Europe
Presentation (pdf)

Discussion

Long-term Dealing with the Corona Pandemic, Part II
Chair: Julian Nida-Rümelin · Vice Chair of the German Ethics Council

Justice at Stake in Front of COVID-19
Laura Palazzani · Vice President of the Italian Committee for Bioethics
Presentation (pdf)

Trust, Communication and Ethical Choices
Kenneth Johansson · Chair of the Swedish National Council on Medical Ethics
Lotta Eriksson · Head of the Secretariat of the Swedish National Council on Medical Ethics

Discussion

Bioethics Forum
Who First? Allocation of Vaccines against SARS-CoV-2

Presentations
Christiane Woopen · Chair of the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies
Presentation (pdf)
Mariângela Simão · Assistant Director-General for Access to Medicines and Health Products at the World Health Organization
Presentation (pdf)
Alena Buyx · Chair of the German Ethics Council
Presentation (pdf)

Round table discussion
David Archard · Chair of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, United Kingdom
Alena Buyx · Chair of the German Ethics Council
Jean-François Delfraissy · Chair of the French National Ethical Consultative Committee for Life Sciences and Health (CCNE)
Mariângela Simão · Assistant Director-General for Access to Medicines and Health Products at the World Health Organization
Christiane Woopen · Chair of the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies
Chair: Susanne Schreiber · Vice Chair of the German Ethics Council

Thursday, 19 November 2020

Genome Editing, Part I
Chair: Eleni Rethimiotaki · Chair of the Hellenic National Bioethics Commission

EGE Opinion on Genome Editing
Julian Kinderlerer · Emeritus Professor of IP Law at the University of Cape Town, Visiting Professor at the School of Law of the University of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
Presentation (pdf)

Ethical Overview in China on Genome Editing
Xiaomei Zhai · Dean of School of Humanities, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Executive Director of the Center for Bioethics

Discussion

Genome Editing, Part II
Chair: Christiane Druml · Chair of the Austrian Bioethics Commission

Genome Editing: Are the Differences Between Therapeutic Use and Enhancement Clear Enough?
Federico de Montalvo Jääskeläinen · Chair of the Spanish Bioethics Committee

Human Genome Editing: Ethics Councils Call to Governments Worldwide – Joint Statement of the National Ethics Committees of France and Germany, and of the UK Nuffield Council on Bioethics
Hugh Whittall · Director of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, United Kingdom

Discussion

Artificial Intelligence, Part I
Chair: Aime Keis · Vice Chair of the Estonian National Committee on Bioethics and Human Research

European Parliament Actions in AI and Ethics
Eva Kaili · Member of the European Parliament, Chair of the Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA)

China AI Ethics and Governance: Present and Future
Yi Zeng ·  Deputy Director of the Research Center for Brain-inspired Artificial Intelligence and Director of the China-UK Research Centre for AI Ethics and Governance at the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Presentation (pdf)

Discussion

Artificial Intelligence, Part II
 Chair: Jorge Soares · Chair of the National Council of Ethics for the Life Sciences, Portugal

The French National Pilot Committee for Digital Ethics: Contributions in the COVID Context
Claude Kirchner · Director of the French National Pilot Committee for Digital Ethics (CNPEN), National Ethical Consultative Committee for Life Sciences and Health (CCNE) and National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Automation (Inria)
Presentation (pdf)

Shaping the Ethical Dimensions of Smart Information Systems (SIS) – a European Perspective
Bernd Stahl · Director of the Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility at De Montfort University
Presentation (pdf)

Discussion

Closing remarks and future NEC activities
Isidoros Karatzas · Head of the Ethics and Research Integrity Sector of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation
Alena Buyx · Chair of the German Ethics Council    
Jorge Soares · Chair of the National Council of Ethics for the Life Sciences, Portugal