EU Legislation & Regulatory Affairs

Science Europe contributes to making the EU legislative, regulatory and policy environment favourable to science and research activities in Europe.

The influence of EU legislation on various aspects of daily life and professional affairs has increased over the last decades. EU policies need to be closely monitored and legislative processes need input from stakeholders to ensure that EU legislation does not compromise the efficiency of the research system.

EU Legislation

There are two main types of legislation at EU level: Regulations and Directives. Regulations apply immediately 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 alone has the right of initiative when it comes to proposing new legislation or the revision of an existing one. The European Commission proposal is submitted to the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, who have the opportunity to amend it. In the majority of cases, the European Parliament and Council will come together with the European Commission after the first reading and try to reach agreement in the so-called trilogue negotiations.

Science Europe Activities

Science Europe currently pursues several legislative topics that will have a large impact on the research sector:

• Directive on Copyright
• Review of the Directive on Public Sector Information
• Regulation on the Free Flow of Non-personal Data
• Directive on Protection of Animals Used for Scientific Purposes
• General Data Protection Regulation