Conference Presentations

We invite you to browse through the final program and to open the presentations of the conference via the attachments below or via the links in the program. We are still working on collecting all presentations of the conference. If you would like to get informed on updates and receive invitations to future events of ENSSER, please sign up to our newsletter in the right hand column.

 

Monday 14 October 2019

First plenary session: The Precautionary (“Foresight”) Principle 1974-2019: use, neglect & lessons learned?

Chair: Dr. Andreas Gies, Dahlem Science Berlin and (Ret.) German Environment Agency

Prof. Erik Millstone, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK: “The rhetorics and realities of ‘precaution’ and ‘innovation’: a cautionary tale”

Prof. Nicolas de Sadeleer, University of Louvain, Belgium: “The precautionary principle: a legal fake or a genuine general principle of law?”

 

Second plenary session: The Precautionary Principle: its use and neglect in five current controversies

Chair: Dr. Arnaud Apoteker, Justice Pesticides, France

Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) – Dr. Theodore Metsis PhD, Athens, Greece

Nanotechnology – Prof. Steffen Foss Hansen, Danish Technical University, Copenhagen, Denmark

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) – Prof. em. Brian Wynne, Lancaster University, UK

Pesticides – Dr. Angeliki Lysimachou, Pesticide Action Network Europe, Brussels, Belgium: “Failing to apply the precautionary principle in pesticide authorisation: the costly consequences for whom?”

Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) – Élise Vitali LM, European Environmental Bureau (EEB), Brussels, Belgium: “Endocrine disruptors under REACH: precautionary in principle, flawed in fact”

 

Public Evening Event: Better safe than sorry – precaution undermined

A round table and public discussion with introductory presentations

Co-Chairs: Dr. Angelika Hilbeck, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich, Switzerland & Prof. Neni Nicolopoulou-Stamati, University of Athens and Secretary of Board of Directors of Mariolopoulos Kanaginis Foundation for Environmental Sciences, Greece

Prof. Andreas Fisahn, University of Bielefeld, Germany: “Legal challenges to the Precautionary Principle”

Round table:

Prof. Erik Millstone, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK

Prof. em. Brian Wynne, Lancaster University, UK

Nina Holland MSc, Corporate Europe Observatory, Brussels, Belgium

Prof. Andreas Fisahn, University of Bielefeld, Germany

 

Tuesday 15 October 2019

Third plenary session: Myths and threats to the Precautionary Principle in EU governance

Chair: Christine von Weizsäcker, Ecoropa, Germany

Prof. em. Brian Wynne, Lancaster University, UK: “False dogmas of science in understanding, and practising, the Precautionary Principle”

Nina Holland MSc, Corporate Europe Observatory, Brussels, Belgium: “Under-the-radar attempts in Brussels to undermine the Precautionary Principle, environmental and social safeguards”

 

Parallel workshops on current controversies

With introductory statements by speakers and discussion among participants

1. Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and health:

Dr. Theodore Metsis PhD, Athens, Greece

Alja Hoeksema MA, Hoogland, The Netherlands

Moderator: Prof. Neni Nicolopoulou-Stamati, University of Athens and Secretary of Board of Directors of Mariolopoulos Kanaginis Foundation for Environmental Sciences, Greece

2. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs)

Dr. Angelika Hilbeck, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich, Switzerland: “Introduction Workshop: Genetic Engineering”

Prof. em. Brian Wynne, Lancaster University, UK

Mareike Imken, Save Our Seeds, Germany

Moderators: Dr. Angelika Hilbeck and Prof. em. Brian Wynne

3. Pesticides:

Dr. Robin Mesnage, King’s College, UK: “New scientific approaches to improve the regulatory assessment of pesticide toxicity”

Hans Joachim Bannier, horticulturist, Bielefeld, Germany: “Genetic pauperization of apple varieties in modern horticulture and the value of traditional varieties”

Moderator: Prof. András Szekács, Agro-Environmental Research Institute, National Agricultural Research and Innovation Centre, Budapest,  Hungary

4. Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs):

Prof. George Chrousos MD, ScD, University of Athens, Greece

Élise Vitali LM, European Environmental Bureau (EEB), Brussels, Belgium

Moderator: Dr. Nicolas Defarge, deputy chair, ENSSER

5. Nanotechnology:

Prof. Steffen Foss Hansen, Danish Technical University, Copenhagen, Denmark

Moderator: Diederick Sprangers MSc, ENSSER

 

Final plenary session: What needs to be done?

Chair: Prof. em. Brian Wynne, Lancaster University, UK

Dr. Dr. Rene von Schomberg, EC Directorate General Research & Innovation, Brussels – “The Governance of responsible innovation: towards an inter-disciplinary and inclusive approach?”

Closing words

Prof. Neni Nicolopoulou-Stamati, acting chair of ENSSER

 

 

Further information on the conference