German Chancellor Angela Merkel reaffirms role of Academies and importance of state support for science at ceremonial address for ALLEA President

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From left to right: Martin Grötschel, designated President of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities; Angela Merkel,German Chancellor; Günter Stock, ALLEA President Photo: BBAW, news aktuell, Oliver Mehlis

From left to right: Martin Grötschel, designated President of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities; Angela Merkel,German Chancellor; Günter Stock, ALLEA President Photo: BBAW, news aktuell, Oliver Mehlis

In her ceremonial address on 6 June 2015 in the context of the “Leibniztag” festivities organised by the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, German Chancellor Angela Merkel emphasised the importance of fostering strong national science programmes. As part of her address, she honoured ALLEA President Günter Stock, whose ten years as the President of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy have now concluded.

Addressing an audience of nearly 1,600 guests in the neoclassical Konzerthaus Berlin, Chancellor Merkel spoke about the relationship between the political world and that of science while reaffirming her government’s goal to reach the 3% GDP investment in research and development.  She emphasised the need to continue to invest in all areas of science, especially in view of international competitiveness, promoting excellence in science, and providing quality opportunities for early career researchers.

Chancellor Merkel furthermore underlined the significance of quality education, science and innovation systems for society as a whole. They would determine how far society can come towards providing technology, services, and intellectual answers that are in demand today and directly influence prosperity levels, standards of living, and progress worldwide.

Moreover, Chancellor Merkel attributed the role of functioning as a bridge for the cooperation between nations and regions to science. She noted that in the science landscape, international cooperation has long been practically self-evident and that this cooperation serves as an example for policymakers that they can best tackle common challenges through a united effort.

Honouring ALLEA President Günter Stock for his now completed ten years in office as President of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy, Chancellor Merkel specifically highlighted his role as the President of ALLEA, the network of Academies at the European level. On the functions of Academies, the Chancellor noted that Academies contribute towards leading innovative national and international projects, bring science to civil society, represent the voices of scientists towards their governments, and help develop new interdisciplinary approaches and projects, thereby reaffirming their indispensable role for science and society.

ALLEA welcomes the European Commission’s response to the “Stop Vivisection” ECI on the use of animals for scientific purposes

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ALLEA welcomes the European Commission’s response to the European Citizens´ Initiative (ECI) “Stop Vivisection” which sought to repeal the European Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes. While the Commission acknowledges its commitment to phasing out animal testing, it also recognises that the current Directive is needed in order to protect animals until the necessary alternative methods are available to ensure that complex research on behalf of human, animal and environmental health may be carried out.

ALLEA has been involved in various efforts to support the European Directive. It is a signatory of a joint statement in support of the Directive which has also been signed by fellow academy organisations Euro-CASE, Academia Europaea, EASAC and FEAM.  It is also a signatory of the “Statement supporting European Directive 2010/63/EU” prepared by the Wellcome Trust.

The Stop Vivisection ECI sought to ban all animal research and was signed by 1.17 million citizens. The Directive sets forth one of the most rigorous standards on animal testing in the world and has played a key role in implementing strict standards across the EU, including the mandatory use of alternative methods when possible. The Directive stipulates that the ultimate goal is indeed to phase out animal testing, which the Commission has confirmed in its communication.

However, the necessary alternative methods are not yet available that would allow the complete phasing out of animal research. If the Commission were to repeal the current Directive, it would have a major negative impact on the biomedical research sector in particular. Although the sector has developed many advanced alternative approaches that reduce the need for animal testing, alternatives do not yet exist for some studies that significantly contribute to human, animal and environmental health – for example, studies on complex diseases such as cancer which affect multiple organs and thus require investigations into how the complete organism functions and interacts. Thus, a complete ban on the use of animals in research would be premature at the present time and would hinder the advancement of our understanding of diseases that have a massive impact on our world. Until we have developed enough alternative methods to ensure this scientific advancement, the European Directive is indispensable for upholding the highest animal welfare standards possible.