By on Dec 18, 2014 with Comments 0
AT THE end of a hard year Europe's leaders are grappling with familiar problems-how to revive gasping economies, what to do about the Russian menace. But a quieter source of discontent is also bubbling up: Europe's scientists. The continent of Galileo and Darwin is not about to cast off its glorious heritage. But the boffins have two recent causes for concern. One is a new investment plan devised by the European Commission to kickstart growth, which relies partly on taking €2.7 billion ($ 3.4 billion) of money previously devoted to Horizon 2020, the EU's science fund. The Royal Society, an august British scientific body, and others have complained about the money grab.The second is over the role of science in European policymaking. Three years ago Anne Glover, a Scottish molecular biologist, became the EU's first chief scientific adviser. She could also be its last. Her mandate expired, along with the previous commission's, and Jean-Claude Juncker, the new president, has not seen fit to renew it. Not in office long enough to absorb the diplomatic habits of Brussels insiders, Ms Glover was notably outspoken on genetically modified organisms (GMOs), describing...
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