Press Release | Wednesday, 16 September 2020
Leopoldina and DFG organize virtual conference on the regulation of genome-edited plants in the EU
Joint Press Invitation of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the German Research Foundation
In the debate on the regulation of genome-edited plants in the European Union, the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the German Research Foundation (DFG) call for a differentiated regulatory framework that takes current scientific knowledge into account. On the occasion of Germany's EU Council Presidency this year, the two organizations are hosting an English-language virtual conference from Thursday, 1 October to Friday, 2 October, 2020, intended to provide scientific advice to policy-makers and society. We cordially invite you to this event and would appreciate an announcement of this date in your medium.
„Genome Editing in Europe: New Agenda or New Disputes?“
Thursday, 1 October 2020, 11‒15.30 hrs, and Friday, 2 October 2020, 12.30‒17 hrs (CEST)
Online at: https://cutt.ly/eu-genome-editing (registration required)
In July 2018, the European Court of Justice ruled that all organisms modified by genome editing techniques such as CRISPR/Cas9 fall under the legal regulations for "genetically modified organisms" (GMOs). This ruling continues to raise many critical voices, ranging from local to EU level and from economy to consumers. The joint conference is intended to facilitate discussions on the latest aspects of GMOs in Europe and the world. Emphasis is placed on the prospects of EU regulation in the field and on the optimal use of scientific findings in policy design and consumer protection.
The conference will take place as a series of zoom webinars. Participation is free of charge. Prior registration is required at the following link: https://cutt.ly/eu-genome-editing.
Further information on registration and participation:
After successful registration, you will receive a confirmation e-mail with a dial-in link for the webinar and a password. You will also receive information on how to dial into the event by phone. When using the ZOOM video conferencing system, the privacy policy of the provider applies: https://zoom.us/de-de/privacy.html
Contact:
Lucian Brujan
National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, Senior Officer International Relations Department
Phone: +49 (0)345 472 39‒836, E-Mail: lucian.brujan@leopoldina.org
Dr. Johannes Fritsch
DFG-Leopoldina Joint Committee on the Handling of Security-Relevant Research, Head of Office
Phone: +49 (0)160 91212676, E-Mail: johannes.fritsch@leopoldina.org
Dr. Henning Steinicke
National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, Senior Officer Science - Policy - Society Department
Phone: +49 (0)345 47 239‒864, E-Mail: henning.steinicke@leopoldina.org
Dr. Catherine Kistner
German Research Foundation (DFG), Program Director Life Sciences 1: Molecular and Organismic Biology
Phone: +49 (0)228 885‒2803, E-Mail: catherine.kistner@dfg.de
