International Organisations - Europe EUROPABIO

Contacts
Website: www.europabio.org




To find similar Items, click on a keyword below:
Biological Conversion : Biotechnology : International Activities - Other : Plant Genetics



EuropaBio, the European Association for Bioindustries, has 35 corporate members operating worldwide and 21 national biotechnology associations representing some 1200 small and medium sized enterprises involved in research and development, testing, manufacturing and distribution of biotechnology products. The members cover a wide range of activities: human and animal health care, diagnostics, bio-informatics, chemicals, crop protection, agriculture, food and environmental products and services. EuropaBio also welcomes associate members such as international commercial, financial, asset management and other service-providing companies, regional biotechnology development organisations and scientific institutes. The common denominator among all our members is the use of biotechnology at any stage of research, development or manufacturing.

Mission

• EuropaBio's mission is to promote an innovative and dynamic biotechnology-based industry in Europe.
• EuropaBio advocates free and open markets and the removal of barriers to competitiveness with other areas of the world.
• EuropaBio is committed to an open, informed dialogue with all stakeholders about the ethical, social and economic aspects of biotechnology and its applications.
• EuropaBio champions the responsible use of biotechnology to ensure that its potential is fully used to the benefit of humans and their environment.

Activities

EuropaBio's primary focus is the European Union but because of the global character of the business, it also represents members in transatlantic and worldwide fora. Europabio is actively engaged in dialogue with the European institutions and contribute to the creation of a coherent legislation for bioindustries. EuropaBio ensures a steady flow of information about biotechnology to the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council of Ministers. Through its member associations, EuropaBio fosters a standing dialogue with policy makers and stakeholders at a national level and cooperates with Member State governments, in particular as they prepare for an EU Presidency term.

A key activity is to disseminate information on the benefits of biotechnology. Biotechnology is one of the most exciting new sectors to emerge in recent years, offering new ways to treat and prevent disease and holding the promise of better and cleaner industrial processes as well as enabling a more sustainable agriculture to emerge. In human health, the benefits of biotechnology are evident and the prospects are bright. Solutions for diseases which so far have been incurable will in great part be due to the revolution that biotechnology brings.

The organisation believes that in agriculture, biotechnology offers considerably higher yields and provides alternatives to the use of pesticides. Genetically modified fruit and vegetables can offer higher nutritional value, better taste, longer conservation, all to the benefit of the consumer. To fight malnutrition in large parts of the developing world and to feed an ever-growing population, biotechnology offers a safe, abundant and high quality food supply through a sustainable use of the world's resources. At the same time biotechnology is bringing cleaner and greener processes to the manufacture of detergents and the cleaning up of environmental waste. Other biotech applications hold the promise of one day replacing carbon fuels with bio-fuels made from biomass.

New products and new applications emerge every day in biotechnology and the organisation is confident that our sector has a major contribution to make in finding new solutions to old problems.

EuropaBio's Core Ethical Values Charter is a pledge of responsible behaviour. It expresses the believe that the swift and steady development of science and technology calls for rapid identification and clarification of the ethical aspects of this development and wants to anticipate and explore the impact of change and to discuss its effects with the scientific community, the public and their elected representatives.

The Advisory Group on Ethics (AGE) composed of outstanding independent scholars and researchers provides the organisation with critical advice.

As far as safety is concerned, The well-being of humans and animals, and the quality of our environment are the major concerns of any civilised society. They are fully shared by all of EuropaBio's member companies. The organisation supports authorisation procedures for genetically modified organisms based on rigorous and science-based safety assessments that are coherent, transparent and predictable and believes that both the scientific community and industry should invest enough time and energy to work together with the public on addressing their concerns.

Management

EuropaBio has a board of management made up of representatives from among their members. They are assisted by sub boards representing the main segments of EuropaBio - healthcare (red biotech), industrial (white biotech), agriculture (green biotech) and emerging enterprises. Experts from member companies and national associations actively participate in EuropaBio's working groups which cover a very wide range of issues and areas of concern to our membership.

Contacts

Contact

• Hugo SCHEPENS / EUROPABIO BELGIUM