1. The organisation and role of STOA
The European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council are the
institutions primarily involved in making policy and legislation in the
European Union. One of the main roles of the EP is to scrutinise legislative
proposals put forward by the Commission, and where necessary to propose
amendments to them.
An increasing proportion of EU legislative proposals concern science or
technology, or the impact of science and technology on society, the economy
and the environment. To scrutinise policy options in such areas, where the
debate may turn on complex technical issues, the Parliament needs to have
access to sources of independent, expert advice.
That is why STOA was launched in 1987. The initials stand for 'Scientific
and Technological Options Assessment'. STOA is now an official organ of
the European Parliament. At the political level, it is supervised by the
STOA Panel, which is comprised of one Member of the EP from each of the
20 parliamentary committees. The current Chairman of the STOA Panel is Professor
Alain Pompidou, MEP, Member of the Committee on Research, Technological
Development and Energy.
The Panel adopts an annual Workplan comprised of projects proposed by the
Committees of the EP. The Workplan is executed by a Unit working in the
Directorate-General for Research of the EP. The STOA Unit executes the projects
in partnership with outside contractors and other partners, who may be universities,
research institutes, laboratories, consultancies and individual researchers.
The projects referred to STOA since 1987 have covered a wide range of topics.
Examples include: The future of the car, The disposal of hazardous waste,
Biodiversity in Europe, Telematics in transport, Renewable energies, Nanotechnology.
In 1995 STOA undertook a major project on the Information Society, the results
of which are just becoming available.
2. STOA and the Mediterranean
Members and Committees of the EP have emphasised their concern for Mediterranean
issues by asking STOA to do a number of projects on issues relevant to the
region. These have included the following:
Pollution of the Mediterranean Sea
Desertification and water resources
Evaluation of scientific research concerning health in the southern EU
Sustainable development in the Mediterranean region: the challenges and
the policy instruments
Forest fires
The EU water quality directives.
In executing the project on Mediterranean pollution, STOA invited the participation
of Mediterranean countries not Member States of the European Union. It held
a Workshop on the subject in Cairo in November, 1992.
3. STOA and external cooperation
STOA enjoys good cooperation with a range of external partners, including
international organisations such as the World Health Organisation. In 1995
it began a successful cooperation with the Institute for Prospective Technological
Studies in Sevilla, which is part of the EU's Joint Research Centre.
STOA is also a member of the European Parliamentary Technology Assessment
network, which links it with similar parliamentary TA bodies from France,
Germany, the United Kingdom, Denmark and the Netherlands. Apart from France,
EPTA has not yet acquired member organisations in Mediterranean countries.