Science for policy

Past event Livestream

Digital & Data Governance

14Mar2024

starts 14:15

ends 15:15

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As European policies affect millions of citizens, we need to be confident that these regulations truly solve the problems they are meant to address. The laws that impact so many of us cannot be the result of partial or skewed information, they must be grounded in robust methodologies.

The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre proposes to help policymakers in their mission to provide Europeans with the policy frameworks that will enable them to live better lives. But what source of information do politicians rely on? How can we limit the risk of political bias and miscalculations?

Scientists of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) carry out research in various fields to provide independent advice to EU policymakers and put science at the heart of European policies. Join us for an insightful dialogue as we navigate the intersections of science, policy, and societal needs.

‘What the Chief Says’ events are exclusive, small, informal and off-the-record roundtable debates that offer our members the exclusive opportunity to engage directly and get to the heart of a specific policy issue with a senior decision-maker from a European institution or government. These events are geared to be in tune with the interest of our members and are strategically linked to emerging trends within the EU sphere. It allows us to focus on the opportunities and identify the possible challenges in the European Commission’s own agenda and provides the possibility to go into greater depth and discuss the ‘nitty gritty’ of policies affecting Europe in the next years and beyond.

This 60-minute discussion included a 10-minute introduction by Salla Saastamoinen, Deputy Director-General at the Joint Research Centre (DG JRC), after which Friends of Europe’s members had the opportunity to raise comments or questions in an off-the-record exchange.

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PPHOTO CREDIT: European Union, 2022/EC – Audiovisual Service

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Speakers

Salla Saastamoinen is Deputy Director-General in Directorate-General Joint Research Centre (JRC) at the European Commission. Salla Saastamoinen has worked in the European Commission since 1996, first in DG Environment and then in several areas in DG Justice and Consumers. Before joining the Commission, Ms Saastamoinen was a partner in a law office in Helsinki, Finland. She has a licentiate degree in law (post-graduate level) from the University of Helsinki, Finland, and post-graduate studies in law from the universities of Saarbrücken, Germany and Zürich, Switzerland. She is author of several books on environmental law and EU law.

Prior to joining Friends of Europe, Dharmendra Kanani was director of policy at the European Foundation Centre (EFC). He was the England director at the Big Lottery Fund, the largest independent funder in the UK and fourth largest in the world. Dharmendra has held senior positions in the public and voluntary sectors and advisor to numerous ministerial policy initiatives across the UK.

*Consultant at Friends of Europe.

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