STOA Science and Technology Options Assessment STOA Panel meeting Thursday, 7 July 2016, 09:30 11:00 LOW N1.4, Strasbourg Minutes The meeting started at 09:39 with Mr Paul RÜBIG, MEP and Chairman of the STOA Panel, in the chair. 1. Adoption of the draft agenda The Chair informed Members that interpretation was available in Bulgarian (BG), Czech (CZ), English (EN), French (FR), German (DE) and Italian (IT), and that the meeting was being webstreamed. The draft agenda was modified following the Chair s proposal, which was adopted by the Panel, to add an item 7.3. STOA participation in the AAAS Annual Meeting in Boston, 1620 February 2017 under agenda point 7 ( Visits/External Activities ). 2. Approval of draft minutes STOA Panel meeting 9 June 2016 The draft minutes were approved under the condition that a few technical changes would be introduced, upon request of the speaker, under item 3 of the agenda of June 2016 ( Presentation by Martin KERN, Interim Director, European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) ). 3. Presentation of the outcomes of the STOA Technology Assessment study The impact of new technologies on the labour market and the social economy The Chair gave the floor to the Lead Panel Member for this project, Georgi PIRINSKI, for an introduction to the subject of the study. Mr PIRINSKI emphasised the interdisciplinary character of the study and the fact that it combined technological, social and political aspects in a successful way, but also highlighted the importance of social economy. The Chair then briefly introduced the speaker, Bernhard DACHS, Senior Scientist at the Innovation Systems Department, Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT), and gave him the floor to present statistical data and empirical findings regarding the relationship between innovation and employment, and the impact of new technologies on employment, with an emphasis on ICT. Mr DACHS argued that the EU labour markets were in a painfully slow recovery after the financial crisis and the European sovereign debt crisis. He analysed both the displacement and compensation effects of innovation, and emphasised that innovation created winners and losers between people of different skill levels. He further argued that technology tends to favour some particular skills, while devaluates other skills and makes them redundant. Mr DACHS briefly presented a number of recent studies that focus on the impact of information and communication technologies and illustrated some important trends such as: digitalisation in production, machine learning, autonomous decisionmaking and artificial intelligence. Based on the existing literature and experience with past technological revolutions, Mr DACHS argued that we can be optimistic about future developments, given that, in the past, the race between jobcreation by new products and jobdestruction from process innovation was won by the jobcreating innovation. However, although digitalisation is unlikely to destroy a large number of jobs, there seemed to be an uneven distribution of the costs of digitalisation, as lowskilled workers were likely to bear the brunt of the adjustment costs of innovation, because the risk of automation and displacement of their jobs was higher. Finally, Mr DACHS presented the concept of social economy as one of the sectors least affected by the jobsdestroying effects of ICT. The main opportunities of these technologies for the Social Economy lay in improving cooperation within groups and between people. He ended his presentation by presenting a series of policy options. PE 581.899
4. The Chair thanked Mr DACHS and opened the floor to questions from Members. Claudia SCHMIDT, MEP and Panel member, asked the speaker to elaborate on the discrepancy of numbers, whether the positive effects of ICT in terms of human interaction should also be taken into account, and how Europe could respond fast to the unemployment tendencies presented. Clare MOODY, MEP and Panel member, asked about the changing shape of the labour market and more specifically about the gradual loss of middleincome jobs, the decrease of productivity, along with the type of methodologies used for measuring it, and the employment relationship and protection offered under the umbrella of social economy. She also raised the point of the digital divide between urban and rural areas, and emphasised the importance of lifelong learning. Mr DACHS explained that studies make different assumptions and training is needed only for the tasks that can be automated. He confirmed the gradual substitution of middle managers/decisionmakers by digital means and stated that overexploitation was the biggest problem in the field of social economy. The Chair emphasised the importance of the study and welcomed the use of best practices and benchmarking in designing the respective policy options. The Chair announced that, if there were no objections, the execution of the study would continue, taking into account the feedback received during the discussion, and would be finalised in autumn 2016. A workshop, chaired by Mr PIRINSKI, would take place as part of the same project on 11 October 2016. Mr PIRINSKI invited all Members to participate in this workshop and highlighted the need to increase productivity without losing jobs, and study further the challenging concept of flexisecurity and the social benefits of social economy, and finally thanked the speaker for his work. Ongoing and new STOA projects The Chair gave the floor to Theo KARAPIPERIS, Head of the Scientific Foresight Unit (STOA), for an update on the status of ongoing projects. Mr KARAPIPERIS explained that the list in the dossier covered projects for which a contract has already been signed. Some of these projects had just been launched (edemocracy, language equality in the digital age), others are about to be signed (bio 3D printing, cybersecurity in CSDP), while the specifications of several other projects were being drafted with a view to launching them later in the year ( Towards energy resilience in Europe, Technological innovation for humanitarian aid and assistance to the most vulnerable people, Financing of crossborder transport infrastructure, ICT and regional development, Search engines: mapping data collection for reciprocal use ). With respect to particular projects, he explained the following: The final study and briefing with legislative options of the Scientific Foresight project on Ethics of CyberPhysical Systems had been published. Mady DELVAUX s (MEP and Panel member) draft legislative initiative report, drawing partly on the STOA study and further work by the STOA Secretariat, had been presented to the Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI). JURI and other committees might find the study useful for preparing amendments, due by October 2016. The Scientific Foresight project on Precision Agriculture and the future of farming in Europe was running ahead of schedule with the following milestones: A presentation of interim results technical trends papers took place during a wellattended working breakfast on 1 June 2016, to which STOA Panel members and Members active in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) had been invited. The second project workshop, to elaborate possible future scenarios and future concerns regarding Precision Agriculture, would be held the following week, on 12 July. The final results, including a briefing paper on legal instruments related to Precision Agriculture, were expected in October 2016, and were scheduled to be presented in the Panel meeting on 27 October 2016. The Scientific Foresight project on Assistive Technologies for the inclusion of people with disabilities in society, education and jobs was running on schedule: 2
Work Package 1, to be completed by October 2016, comprised three deliverables, on: (i) current trends and prospects of assistive technologies, (ii) regulatory frameworks, and (iii) the needs, opportunities and perceptions of disabled people. A presentation of the interim results to the Panel was scheduled for 15 December 2016. The procedure for selecting a STOA framework contractor for carrying out the Scientific Foresight project on Additive biomanufacturing: 3D printing for medical recovery and human enhancement was in progress. The project was expected to start in September 2016. The Technology Assessment project Towards a circular economy Waste management in the EU was running on schedule. The study would be finalised through the summer and would be presented to the Panel in September 2016. A workshop, chaired by Ms KAILI, took place as part of the same project on 15 June 2016. The Technology Assessment project The impact of new technologies on the labour market and the social economy was running on schedule. The interim study had just been presented. A workshop would take place on 11 October 2016 and the study would be finalised in autumn 2016. The specifications of the Technology Assessment project Towards energy resilience in Europe were being prepared and the project was scheduled to start in autumn 2016. It would involve a stocktaking covering all the study requests by Members in the area of energy. The Chair then announced that, as there were no objections, the projects will continue to be implemented as described. 5. 6. STOA Annual Lecture 2016, 16 November 2016 The Chair informed the Panel of the following: Sir Martin SWEETING, Founder and Executive Chairman of Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), has accepted the invitation to speak at the event. The STOA Secretariat was, in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), investigating the availability of the additional keynote speakers; Ms MOODY has submitted a proposal for organising an exhibition in relation to the Annual Lecture, which the STOA Bureau considered worth supporting. After discussions between the Secretariat and Knowledge4Innovation, organisers of the annual European Innovation Summit in Brussels, the STOA Annual Lecture had the possibility to be incorporated in the programme of this year s Innovation Summit, with STOA maintaining full autonomy in the organisation of the event. STOA would then be able to make use of the exhibition space allocated to the Innovation Summit for setting up its own exhibition on Space. The Chair then announced that, as there were no objections, the Secretariat would continue the preparations, in close cooperation with himself, ESA and Ms MOODY, and would report back to the Panel in due course. STOA workshops and joint activities with external organisations: 6.1. Forthcoming events The Chair drew Members attention to the table of forthcoming events in their dossiers. 6.2. 2nd INGSA Conference Science and policymaking: towards a new dialogue, 2930 September 2016, Brussels The Chair noted that this conference, coorganised by the European Commission, through the Scientific Advice Mechanism unit, and the International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA) would give national, European and international policymakers, including Members of the European Parliament, leading practitioners, scholars in the field of science advice to governments and other stakeholders an opportunity to explore principles and practices in a variety of current policy contexts. 3
7. He also informed Members that First STOA ViceChair Eva KAILI, Mairead McGUINNESS, VicePresident responsible for STOA, and Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS, MEP, would play an active role in various sessions, as speakers or moderators. He finally encouraged Members to participate in this conference and announced that updates in the programme would be communicated to them as they became available. 6.3. European Parliament of Enterprises, 13 October 2016, Brussels The Chair informed Members that: EUROCHAMBRES planned to organise the fourth edition of the European Parliament of Enterprises (EPE), as a flagship event in the Small and Mediumsized Enterprise (SME) week, and has requested the use of the hemicycle of the European Parliament (EP) in Brussels for this purpose; the previous editions of EPE took place in 2008, 2010 and 2014, and brought together several hundred business representatives and decisionmakers for the purpose of enhancing mutual understanding; on 9 June 2016 the STOA Bureau discussed the proposal for the EP to act as coorganiser of this year s EPE and decided to support the proposal on the understanding that EUROCHAMBRES would bear all the costs associated with the event and the programme of this year s EPE would reflect elements of the thematic priority areas of STOA s work in the 8th legislative period; on 4 July 2016 the EP Bureau decided to authorise in principle the holding of the fourth EPE in the EP hemicycle in Brussels, taking into account the support of STOA and the Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO), upon condition that one more parliamentary committee would express its support, as required by the applicable rules for the use of the hemicycle. He then announced that, as there were no objections, STOA would coorganise this year s EPE, along the lines decided by the STOA Bureau, together with the two committees supporting the event and to the extent STOA s human resources capacity allowed it. Visits/External activities: 7.1. STOA delegation to ESOF1 2016, 2227 July 2016, Manchester The Chair gave the floor to Mr KARAPIPERIS, who reminded the Panel that STOA would be coorganising three scientific sessions: (i) Flying cars and quantum computers: when disruptive technologies meet regulation to be held on 25 July 2016, 12:50 14:05, in cooperation with the JRC; speakers included the VicePresident responsible for STOA, Mairead McGUINNESS, and STOA Chair Paul RÜBIG; (ii) Foresight as a tool for responsible policy development on 26 July 2016, 11:25 12:40; with the JRC and DG RTD and to be chaired by VicePresident McGUINNESS; (iii) Arts and Sciences: the crossroads of creativity to be held on 26 July 2016, 17:10 18:25; with members of the Committees on Culture and Education (CULT) and on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE), and Policy Department B; First STOA ViceChair Eva KAILI will be a speaker. He further informed Members that the STOA delegation would consist of three Panel members: Ms McGUINNESS, Mr RÜBIG and Ms KAILI. The Chair finally noted that STOA would have a visible presence at the EU exhibition stand (organised by the European Commission s DG RTD), which would display the EP logo and STOA s name with the phrase STOA Sound policy advice anticipating longterm impacts of science and technology, and would promote the STOA study on Ethical aspects of CyberPhysical Systems, with a QR code leading to the publications page on the STOA website, as well as the science sessions with STOA participation. The Chair announced that, as there were no objections, the preparations would continue as described. 1 EuroScience Open Forum 4
8. 9. 7.2. EPTA Council meeting and Conference, 2021 October 2016, Vienna The Chair informed Panel members that: the President of the Austrian Parliament had sent a letter to President Schulz, inviting EP representatives to the Austrian Parliament for the annual meeting of the European Parliamentary Technology Assessment network (EPTA); the event would take place under this year's Austrian Presidency of EPTA, and included the EPTA Council meeting on 20 October, p.m., and the EPTA Conference, scheduled for the following day; the theme of the conference will be Digital work The future of labour in times of ubiquitous computing, virtual platforms and realtime production ; the basis for the discussions would be a comparative EPTA report, compiled by all EPTA members from a national and (for STOA) EU perspective; STOA, as a founding member of EPTA, had always taken an active part in EPTA activities, including notably the annual Council meetings and the associated thematic conferences; the EP Bureau authorised on 1 February 2016 a STOA delegation of up to three Members to attend this year s EPTA meeting; an email had been sent to Panel members by the Secretariat, inviting them to express their possible interest; as the STOA Chair and Danuta JAZŁOWIECKA, MEP and Panel member, had confirmed their interest in attending the meeting so far, there was one more place available for an interested Panel member. The Chair asked interested Members to inform the Secretariat by Wednesday,13 July 2016. 7.3. STOA participation in the AAAS Annual Meeting in Boston, 1620 February 2017 The Chair explained that each year the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) brought together a community of scientists and policymakers to discuss recent developments in science and technology; in 2017, the Annual Meeting would take place from 16 to 20 February in Boston and would be dedicated to the theme Serving society through science policy ; as the organisers explained: To make decisions, societies rely on knowledge and multiple perspectives. Policies both within and outside science should be informed by the best available evidence. The Chair announced that, that, as there were no objections, this delegation would be included among those (outside the EU) to be submitted for approval by the Conference of Presidents for 2017. Any other business The Chair announced that the second STOA Newsletter for 2016 had been distributed with the dossier and would be widely circulated within the EP and externally, via STOA s networks. He then asked whether there were any other issues Members wanted to raise or discuss. There were none. Date and place of next meeting The Chair announced that the next Panel meeting was scheduled for Thursday, 15 September 2016, at 09:30 in the room LOW N1.4. At the next meeting there would be a presentation of the outcomes of the STOA study Towards a circular economy Waste management in the EU. The meeting ended at 11:00. 5
ANNEX List of participants STOA Panel members: Ms McGuinness, Mr Rübig, Ms Kaili, Mr Tošenovský, Mr Coelho, Ms Delvaux, Mr Grzyb, Ms McIntyre, Ms Moody, Mr Pirinski, Ms Schmidt, Mr Tamburrano. Scientific Foresight Unit (STOA): Mr Karapiperis, Mr Pataki, Mr Kritikos, Mr Evrard. Other participants: Mr Hiller (DG EPRS), Mr Terry (Assistant to Ms McIntyre), Mr Wijsmuller (Assistant to Ms Van Nieuwenhuizen), Mr Sabev (Assistant to Mr Nekov), Ms Feltes (Assistant to Ms Schmidt), Mr Lewis (Assistant to Ms Moody), Mr Ranaldo (Assistant to Ms Beghin), Ms Grahek (JRC), Mr Sánchez (Policy Adviser EFDD), Mr Tindemans (EuroScience), Mr Hynes (ESF). 6