BETA


2023/2184(INL) Promotion of the freedom of scientific research in the EU

Progress: Procedure completed

RoleCommitteeRapporteurShadows
Lead ITRE EHLER Christian (icon: EPP EPP) AGIUS SALIBA Alex (icon: S&D S&D), IJABS Ivars (icon: Renew Renew), PEKSA Mikuláš (icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE), ILČIĆ Ladislav (icon: ECR ECR), MATIAS Marisa (icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL)
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
RoP 47

Events

2024/01/17
   EP - Text adopted by Parliament, single reading
Documents
2024/01/17
   EP - Decision by Parliament
Documents
2023/12/05
   EP - Committee report tabled for plenary
Details

The Committee on Industry, Research and Energy adopted the report by Christian EHLER (EPP, DE) containing recommendations to the Commission on promotion of the freedom of scientific research in the EU.

As a reminder, the freedom of scientific research, which is an essential element of democracy and one of the constituent parts of academic freedom, is under pressure in the Union and is gradually eroding.

Members reaffirmed the Union's commitment to upholding fundamental rights, including the right to the freedom of scientific research in all scientific disciplines and the arts.

The Committee puts forward the following recommendation to the Commission as to the content of the proposal requested on the promotion of the freedom of scientific research in the EU. It requested that the Commission submit a proposal following the principles and aims set out below to guarantee, protect and promote this freedom at the level of research organisations and of researchers all along their careers.

Defining the freedom of scientific research

The freedom of scientific research must be carefully balanced with other legitimate interests, such as obtaining legitimate competitive advantages and intellectual property protection. Such limitations should not, however, contravene recognised ethical principles and practices, to which researchers have to adhere.

It is recommended that the proposal should build on the definition of the freedom of scientific research, in line with the Bonn Declaration, which stands for openness, exchange, excellence, internationalism, diversity, equality, integrity, curiosity, responsibility and reflexivity and that it is, therefore, a pillar of any democracy.

The freedom of scientific research entails the right for individual researchers to freely define research questions, choose and develop theories, gather empirical material, and employ sound scientific research methods, to maintain scientific integrity, to challenge conventional wisdom, to publish and communicate freely, and to propose new ideas and theories as well as disseminate them freely.

The rights of individual researchers include at least:

- the right to freely access public information, and the right to access private information needed for scientific purposes, which is to be balanced with the rights of information holders and the nature/sensitivity of information;

- the right to keep specific information or data, as well as the source for that information or date confidential in order to abide by ethical and scientific standards, to achieve a scientific or other legitimate objectives;

- the right to publish, share, disseminate and communicate openly, both intramural and extramural, the right to speak freely and critically about work and politics of scientific research institutions and the results and data of their research, without fear of reprisal.

Rights and obligations of scientific research organisations

To guarantee the freedom of scientific research for scientific researchers, scientific research organisations should enjoy effective institutional autonomy. Scientific research organisations should have the freedom to engage in international collaboration.

The definition of institutional autonomy in the proposal should not be static, but rather should allow adaptation to different national, regional and institutional contexts in particular by allowing for emphasis to shift between different aspects of institutional autonomy by incorporating a gradual rather than binary appreciation of the different aspects. Institutional autonomy should come with an obligation for research organisations to provide some form of involvement of scientific researchers in decision-making.

Governmental obligations

Members recommended that governmental bodies in Member States, at all levels of government including Union institutions, agencies and bodies, should have the obligation to respect, protect, promote and ensure the freedom of scientific research, including institutional autonomy.

Respect for the freedom of scientific research means that governmental bodies refrain from arbitrary interferences in and imposing undue restrictions on the freedom of scientific research, as well as refrain from active or complicity participation in violations of the right.

Moreover, ensuring the freedom of scientific research means that governmental bodies have to actively create all the preconditions needed for the exercise all aspects of the freedom, including institutional autonomy. This includes policies for sustainable research careers providing quality jobs at all career stages as well as long term, reliable and stable institutional financing .

Documents
2023/11/28
   EP - Vote in committee
2023/09/26
   EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2023/08/25
   EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2023/07/12
   EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament
2023/03/30
   EP - EHLER Christian (EPP) appointed as rapporteur in ITRE

Documents

Votes

A9-0393/2023 – Christian Ehler – After § 14 – Am 1 #

2024/01/17 Outcome: -: 446, +: 155, 0: 31
HU PL HR CZ SK LV EE MT IT SE SI CY LU AT LT BG FI BE DK IE NL RO EL PT FR ES DE
Total
18
47
12
21
13
5
7
5
66
20
8
6
6
15
9
13
12
20
14
13
24
26
20
20
70
57
85
icon: ECR ECR
58

Croatia ECR

1

Slovakia ECR

For (1)

1

Latvia ECR

For (1)

1

Bulgaria ECR

2

Finland ECR

1

Belgium ECR

2

Netherlands ECR

Abstain (1)

4

Greece ECR

1
icon: ID ID
51

Czechia ID

For (1)

1

Estonia ID

For (1)

1
3

Denmark ID

For (1)

1
icon: NI NI
44

Czechia NI

For (1)

1

Latvia NI

Against (1)

1

Lithuania NI

1

Belgium NI

Against (1)

1

Germany NI

For (1)

3
icon: The Left The Left
34

Czechia The Left

1

Sweden The Left

Against (1)

1

Cyprus The Left

2

Finland The Left

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1

Belgium The Left

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1

Denmark The Left

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1

Ireland The Left

4

Netherlands The Left

Against (1)

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
64

Poland Verts/ALE

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1

Czechia Verts/ALE

3

Italy Verts/ALE

3

Sweden Verts/ALE

3

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Austria Verts/ALE

For (1)

Against (2)

3

Lithuania Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Finland Verts/ALE

3

Belgium Verts/ALE

3

Denmark Verts/ALE

2

Ireland Verts/ALE

2

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Portugal Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Spain Verts/ALE

3
icon: Renew Renew
99

Hungary Renew

2

Poland Renew

1

Croatia Renew

Against (1)

1

Latvia Renew

Against (1)

1

Estonia Renew

3

Italy Renew

Against (2)

2

Sweden Renew

3

Slovenia Renew

2

Luxembourg Renew

2

Austria Renew

Against (1)

1

Lithuania Renew

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1

Bulgaria Renew

3

Finland Renew

3

Ireland Renew

2

Greece Renew

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1
icon: S&D S&D
125

Hungary S&D

3

Croatia S&D

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4

Czechia S&D

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1

Slovakia S&D

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1

Estonia S&D

2

Slovenia S&D

2

Cyprus S&D

2

Luxembourg S&D

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1

Lithuania S&D

2

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2

Belgium S&D

2

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4

Greece S&D

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1
icon: PPE PPE
157

Hungary PPE

1

Croatia PPE

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Abstain (1)

4

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For (1)

Abstain (1)

4

Latvia PPE

2

Estonia PPE

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1

Malta PPE

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1

Slovenia PPE

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4

Cyprus PPE

2

Luxembourg PPE

2
3

Finland PPE

2

Denmark PPE

Against (1)

1

Ireland PPE

Abstain (1)

5

Netherlands PPE

Abstain (1)

5

A9-0393/2023 – Christian Ehler – Annex I, after point 23 – Am 2 #

2024/01/17 Outcome: -: 463, +: 147, 0: 23
HU CZ PL HR LV EE MT SK CY LU BG LT SI IT FI AT IE DK SE NL RO EL BE ES PT FR DE
Total
18
21
47
12
5
7
5
14
6
6
12
9
8
66
13
15
13
14
20
24
24
20
20
57
20
72
85
icon: ECR ECR
58

Croatia ECR

1

Latvia ECR

For (1)

1

Slovakia ECR

For (1)

1

Bulgaria ECR

2

Finland ECR

1

Netherlands ECR

Abstain (1)

4

Greece ECR

1

Belgium ECR

2
icon: ID ID
51

Czechia ID

For (1)

1

Estonia ID

For (1)

1

Austria ID

3

Denmark ID

Abstain (1)

1
icon: NI NI
46

Czechia NI

For (1)

1

Latvia NI

Against (1)

1

Lithuania NI

1

Belgium NI

Against (1)

1

Germany NI

For (1)

3
icon: The Left The Left
35

Czechia The Left

1

Cyprus The Left

2

Finland The Left

Against (1)

1

Ireland The Left

4

Denmark The Left

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1

Sweden The Left

Against (1)

1

Netherlands The Left

Against (1)

1

Belgium The Left

Against (1)

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
64

Czechia Verts/ALE

3

Poland Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Lithuania Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Italy Verts/ALE

3

Finland Verts/ALE

3

Austria Verts/ALE

3

Ireland Verts/ALE

2

Denmark Verts/ALE

2

Sweden Verts/ALE

3

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Belgium Verts/ALE

3

Spain Verts/ALE

3

Portugal Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1
icon: Renew Renew
98

Hungary Renew

2

Poland Renew

1

Croatia Renew

Against (1)

1

Latvia Renew

Against (1)

1

Estonia Renew

3

Luxembourg Renew

2

Bulgaria Renew

3

Lithuania Renew

Against (1)

1

Slovenia Renew

2

Italy Renew

Against (2)

2

Finland Renew

3

Austria Renew

Against (1)

1

Ireland Renew

2

Sweden Renew

3

Greece Renew

Against (1)

1
icon: S&D S&D
124

Hungary S&D

3

Czechia S&D

Against (1)

1

Croatia S&D

Against (1)

4

Estonia S&D

2

Slovakia S&D

Against (1)

1

Cyprus S&D

2

Luxembourg S&D

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1

Bulgaria S&D

2

Lithuania S&D

2

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2

Finland S&D

2

Netherlands S&D

4

Greece S&D

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1

Belgium S&D

2
icon: PPE PPE
157

Hungary PPE

1

Croatia PPE

For (1)

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4

Latvia PPE

2

Estonia PPE

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1

Malta PPE

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1

Slovakia PPE

For (1)

4

Cyprus PPE

2

Luxembourg PPE

2

Slovenia PPE

Abstain (1)

4
3

Denmark PPE

Against (1)

1

Netherlands PPE

For (1)

5

A9-0393/2023 – Christian Ehler – Motion for a resolution (text as a whole) #

2024/01/17 Outcome: +: 461, 0: 140, -: 34
DE ES IT FR RO PL NL SE PT EL BE DK BG CZ IE FI SK LT AT HR SI EE MT LU CY LV HU
Total
85
56
66
72
26
47
24
20
20
20
20
14
13
21
13
13
14
9
15
12
8
7
5
6
6
5
18
icon: PPE PPE
158

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Slovakia PPE

Abstain (1)

4

Slovenia PPE

Abstain (1)

4

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1

Malta PPE

For (1)

1

Luxembourg PPE

2

Cyprus PPE

2

Latvia PPE

2

Hungary PPE

Against (1)

1
icon: S&D S&D
124

Greece S&D

1

Belgium S&D

2

Bulgaria S&D

2

Czechia S&D

For (1)

1

Slovakia S&D

For (1)

1

Lithuania S&D

2

Slovenia S&D

2

Estonia S&D

2

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1

Cyprus S&D

2
icon: Renew Renew
99

Italy Renew

2

Poland Renew

1
3

Greece Renew

1

Ireland Renew

2

Finland Renew

3

Lithuania Renew

1

Austria Renew

For (1)

1

Croatia Renew

For (1)

1

Slovenia Renew

2

Estonia Renew

3

Luxembourg Renew

2

Latvia Renew

For (1)

1

Hungary Renew

2
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
64

Spain Verts/ALE

3

Italy Verts/ALE

3

Poland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Sweden Verts/ALE

3

Portugal Verts/ALE

1

Belgium Verts/ALE

3

Denmark Verts/ALE

2

Czechia Verts/ALE

3

Ireland Verts/ALE

2

Finland Verts/ALE

3

Lithuania Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Austria Verts/ALE

3

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

Abstain (1)

1
icon: The Left The Left
35

Netherlands The Left

Abstain (1)

1

Sweden The Left

For (1)

1

Belgium The Left

Abstain (1)

1

Denmark The Left

1

Czechia The Left

Abstain (1)

1

Ireland The Left

For (1)

4

Finland The Left

Abstain (1)

1

Cyprus The Left

2
icon: NI NI
46
3

France NI

Abstain (1)

4

Belgium NI

For (1)

1

Czechia NI

Against (1)

1

Slovakia NI

Against (1)

Abstain (1)

4

Lithuania NI

1

Croatia NI

Against (1)

Abstain (1)

2

Latvia NI

Abstain (1)

1
icon: ECR ECR
58

Netherlands ECR

For (1)

Against (1)

4

Sweden ECR

For (1)

3

Greece ECR

Abstain (1)

1

Belgium ECR

2

Bulgaria ECR

2

Finland ECR

Against (1)

1

Slovakia ECR

Abstain (1)

1

Croatia ECR

Abstain (1)

1

Latvia ECR

Abstain (1)

1
icon: ID ID
51

Denmark ID

Against (1)

1

Czechia ID

Against (1)

1

Austria ID

3

Estonia ID

Abstain (1)

1
AmendmentsDossier
118 2023/2184(INL)
2023/09/27 ITRE 118 amendments...
source: 753.646

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

docs/2
date
2024-01-17T00:00:00
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2024-0022_EN.html title: T9-0022/2024
type
Text adopted by Parliament, single reading
body
EP
docs/2
date
2023-12-05T00:00:00
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-9-2023-0393_EN.html title: A9-0393/2023
type
Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
body
EP
events/2/summary
  • The Committee on Industry, Research and Energy adopted the report by Christian EHLER (EPP, DE) containing recommendations to the Commission on promotion of the freedom of scientific research in the EU.
  • As a reminder, the freedom of scientific research, which is an essential element of democracy and one of the constituent parts of academic freedom, is under pressure in the Union and is gradually eroding.
  • Members reaffirmed the Union's commitment to upholding fundamental rights, including the right to the freedom of scientific research in all scientific disciplines and the arts.
  • The Committee puts forward the following recommendation to the Commission as to the content of the proposal requested on the promotion of the freedom of scientific research in the EU. It requested that the Commission submit a proposal following the principles and aims set out below to guarantee, protect and promote this freedom at the level of research organisations and of researchers all along their careers.
  • Defining the freedom of scientific research
  • The freedom of scientific research must be carefully balanced with other legitimate interests, such as obtaining legitimate competitive advantages and intellectual property protection. Such limitations should not, however, contravene recognised ethical principles and practices, to which researchers have to adhere.
  • It is recommended that the proposal should build on the definition of the freedom of scientific research, in line with the Bonn Declaration, which stands for openness, exchange, excellence, internationalism, diversity, equality, integrity, curiosity, responsibility and reflexivity and that it is, therefore, a pillar of any democracy.
  • The freedom of scientific research entails the right for individual researchers to freely define research questions, choose and develop theories, gather empirical material, and employ sound scientific research methods, to maintain scientific integrity, to challenge conventional wisdom, to publish and communicate freely, and to propose new ideas and theories as well as disseminate them freely.
  • The rights of individual researchers include at least:
  • - the right to freely access public information, and the right to access private information needed for scientific purposes, which is to be balanced with the rights of information holders and the nature/sensitivity of information;
  • - the right to keep specific information or data, as well as the source for that information or date confidential in order to abide by ethical and scientific standards, to achieve a scientific or other legitimate objectives;
  • - the right to publish, share, disseminate and communicate openly, both intramural and extramural, the right to speak freely and critically about work and politics of scientific research institutions and the results and data of their research, without fear of reprisal.
  • Rights and obligations of scientific research organisations
  • To guarantee the freedom of scientific research for scientific researchers, scientific research organisations should enjoy effective institutional autonomy. Scientific research organisations should have the freedom to engage in international collaboration.
  • The definition of institutional autonomy in the proposal should not be static, but rather should allow adaptation to different national, regional and institutional contexts in particular by allowing for emphasis to shift between different aspects of institutional autonomy by incorporating a gradual rather than binary appreciation of the different aspects. Institutional autonomy should come with an obligation for research organisations to provide some form of involvement of scientific researchers in decision-making.
  • Governmental obligations
  • Members recommended that governmental bodies in Member States, at all levels of government including Union institutions, agencies and bodies, should have the obligation to respect, protect, promote and ensure the freedom of scientific research, including institutional autonomy.
  • Respect for the freedom of scientific research means that governmental bodies refrain from arbitrary interferences in and imposing undue restrictions on the freedom of scientific research, as well as refrain from active or complicity participation in violations of the right.
  • Moreover, ensuring the freedom of scientific research means that governmental bodies have to actively create all the preconditions needed for the exercise all aspects of the freedom, including institutional autonomy. This includes policies for sustainable research careers providing quality jobs at all career stages as well as long term, reliable and stable institutional financing .
events/3
date
2024-01-17T00:00:00
type
Decision by Parliament
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EP
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url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2024-0022_EN.html title: T9-0022/2024
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  • date: 2024-01-15T00:00:00 title: Indicative plenary sitting date
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Old
Awaiting Parliament's vote
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Procedure completed
docs/2
date
2023-12-05T00:00:00
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-9-2023-0393_EN.html title: A9-0393/2023
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Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
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events/2/docs
  • url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-9-2023-0393_EN.html title: A9-0393/2023
events/1
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2023-11-28T00:00:00
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events/2
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2023-12-05T00:00:00
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Rules of Procedure EP 159
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Awaiting committee decision
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Awaiting Parliament's vote
docs/1
date
2023-09-26T00:00:00
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/ITRE-AM-753646_EN.html title: PE753.646
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Amendments tabled in committee
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EP
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  • date: 2024-01-15T00:00:00 title: Indicative plenary sitting date
committees/0/shadows/2
name
PEKSA Mikuláš
group
Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
abbr
Verts/ALE
docs
  • date: 2023-08-25T00:00:00 docs: url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/ITRE-PR-751835_EN.html title: PE751.835 type: Committee draft report body: EP
committees/0
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Responsible Committee
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Industry, Research and Energy
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rapporteur
name: EHLER Christian date: 2023-03-30T00:00:00 group: Group of European People's Party abbr: EPP
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committees/0
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events
  • date: 2023-07-12T00:00:00 type: Committee referral announced in Parliament body: EP
procedure/dossier_of_the_committee
  • ITRE/9/12663
procedure/stage_reached
Old
Preparatory phase in Parliament
New
Awaiting committee decision