The Scientific Advice Mechanism – Outputs and impacts

Today the Commission published a report on the last five years’ activities of the Scientific Advice Mechanism (SAM), covering the period 2020-2024. 

The report highlights the major SAM outputs during the first von der Leyen Commission, focusing on 11 Scientific Opinions that cover a broad range of topics from ways to improve cancer screening to Solar Radiation Modification. 

The report also analyses the impact of these Opinions, detailing how they influenced policy at the EU level and within the Member States. The 2020 Opinion on biodegradable plastics, for example, became the basis of a Commission Communication presenting a policy framework for biobased, biodegradable and compostable plastics. 

The recommendations of the 2022 Opinion on improving cancer screening were included with minimal changes in Council Conclusions and became a key element in the EU-supported Cancer Screening Scheme under Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. The media impact can also be substantial – the 2024 Solar Radiation Modification Opinion, for example, was featured on the front page of Le Monde.

Background

The Scientific Advice Mechanism provides independent scientific evidence and policy recommendations to the European institutions at request of the College of Commissioners.

The SAM has three-part structure, composed by the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors, eminent scientists whose role is to make policy recommendations, SAPEA (Science Advice for Policy by European Academies), which brings together Europe’s academies and Academy Networks to review and synthesise evidence, and a coordination unit inside DG RTD. The mechanism was set up by a Commission decision in 2015. 

Today’s report follows a previous overview published in 2019, which chronicled the first five-year period of the work of the SAM.

More information

Report: Scientific Advice Mechanism - Outputs and impacts 2019-2024

Group of Chief Scientific Advisors