EuropaBio ("The European Association for Bioindustries") is Europe's largest and most influential biotech industry group, whose members include leading large-size healthcare and industrial

biotechnology Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used ...

companies. EuropaBio is located in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, Belgium. The organisation was initiated in 1996 to represent the interests of the

industry at the European level, and therefore influence legislation that serves the interests of biotechnology companies in Europe.

Activity and goals

EuropaBio is engaged in dialogue with the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

, the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...

, and the

Council of Ministers A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...

to influence legislation on biotechnology. EuropaBio represents the three traditional sectors of the biotech industry. * White or

industrial biotechnology Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used b ...

is the application of biotechnology for industrial purposes, including manufacturing, alternative energy (or "bioenergy") biofuels, and biomaterials. * Red or healthcare biotechnology is the application of biotechnology for the production of medicines and therapies. * Green or agrifood biotechnology is a collection of technologies using plant organisms and plant cells for the production or transformation of food, biomaterials and energy. EuropaBio's stated goals are: * promoting an innovative, coherent, and dynamic biotechnology-based industry in Europe; * advocating free and open markets and the removal of barriers to competitiveness with other areas of the world; * committing to an open, transparent, and informed dialogue with all stakeholders about the ethical, social, and economic aspects of biotechnology and its benefits; * championing the socially responsible use of biotechnology to ensure that its potential is fully used to the benefit of humans and their environment. EuropaBio's primary focus is the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

but because of the global character of the biotech business, it also represents its members in transatlantic and worldwide forums.

Organisation

EuropaBio has a board of management made up of representatives from among its industry members. Since September 2020, Andrew Topen

Novartis Novartis AG is a Swiss-American multinational pharmaceutical corporation based in Basel, Switzerland and Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States (global research).name="novartis.com">https://www.novartis.com/research-development/research-loc ...

is chairman of the board. The board is assisted by sectoral councils representing the main segments of EuropaBio – healthcare (red biotech), and industrial (white biotech). Experts from member companies and national associations participate in EuropaBio's working groups which cover a very wide range of issues and areas of concern of biotech enterprises. Since November 2020 EuropaBio Director General is Dr. Claire Skentelbery.

Members

In 2021, the association represents 79 corporate and associate members and

BioRegions A bioregion is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a biogeographic realm, but larger than an ecoregion or an ecosystem, in the World Wide Fund for Nature classification scheme. There is also an attempt to use the ...

, and 17 national biotechnology associations in turn representing over 1800 biotech SMEs.

Citations

References

Transforming Europe’s position on GM food - ambassadors programme executive summary
The Guardian, Thursday 20 October 2011, Guardian News and Media Limited.
Biotech group bids to recruit high-profile GM 'ambassadors'
John Vidal and Hanna Gersmann,

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

, Thursday 20 October 2011, Guardian News and Media Limited.
Draft letter from EuropaBio to potential GM ambassadors
The Guardian, Thursday 20 October 2011, Guardian News and Media Limited.

External links