EU Legislation & Regulatory Affairs
The influence that EU legislation has on every aspect of daily life and professional affairs has been steadily increasing over the last decades. EU policies need to be closely monitored and legislative processes have to be accompanied by stakeholders in order to ensure that EU legislation does not compromise the efficiency of the research system.
EU Legislation
There are two main types of legislation on EU level: regulations and directives. Regulations are immediately applicable in all EU member states, providing the same set of rules across the EU. Directives, on the other hand, set a legal framework that has to be transposed into national law by every single member state. They provide a lower level of harmonisation and more flexibility for national solutions.
The Legislative Process
The European Commission (EC) alone has the right of initiative when it comes to proposing a new legislation or the revision of an existing one. The EC’s proposal will be submitted to the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, who will amend the proposal. In the majority of cases, Parliament and Council come together with the Commission after the first reading and try to reach an agreement in the so-called trilogue negotiations.
Activities
Science Europe is currently working on three main legislative topics which will have a large impact on the research sector: