On 5 December, the EMCDDA Management Board appointed 15 high-level scientists to serve on the agency’s Scientific Committee for the period 2014–16. The selection followed a call for expressions of interest in the Official Journal of the European Union in February this year which yielded 79 eligible applications. The new members have been informed today of the Management Board’s decision. The mandate of the current Committee draws to a close at the end of 2013.
The 15 members — selected from the EU Member States and Norway — were chosen, following a public selection process, on the basis of scientific merit and independence and their expertise in the most relevant scientific fields linked to the problems of drugs and drug addiction today. One third of the scientists appointed are new members, while 10 previously served on the Committee. As members are appointed in a personal capacity, they are required to give their opinions independently of their country and of the Community institutions.
The Scientific Committee plays a major role in the EMCDDA’s efforts to attain scientific excellence. The agency consults the Committee on the quality of its work programmes and on any scientific matter concerning its activity, which the Management Board or the Director may submit to it. The Committee also plays a pivotal role in the agency’s risk assessment of new psychoactive substances.
The Management Board invited the Chair (Marina Davoli) and Vice-Chair (Gerhard Bühringer) of the outgoing Committee to continue acting in these roles until elections take place at the first meeting of the new Committee in Spring 2014. In addition to appointing the members of the new Committee, the Board also established a reserve list.
The EMCDDA thanks the outgoing Committee members for their role as guardians and advocates of the scientific integrity of the agency over two consecutive terms (2008–10 and 2011–13).
| New Scientific Committee | Gender | Nationality |
| Henri BERGERON | M | French |
| Anne Line BRETTEVILLE-JENSEN | F | Norwegian |
| Gerhard BÜHRINGER | M | German |
| Catherine COMISKEY* | F | Irish |
| Paul DARGAN* | M | British |
| Marina DAVOLI | F | Italian |
| Brice DE RUYVER | M | Belgian |
| Gabriele FISCHER* | F | Austrian |
| Henk GARRETSEN | M | Dutch |
| Matthew HICKMAN | M | British |
| Dirk KORF | M | Dutch |
| Krzysztof KRAJEWSKI | M | Polish |
| Letizia PAOLI* | F | Italian |
| Fernando RODRIGUEZ DE FONSECA | M | Spanish |
| Rainer SPANAGEL* | M | German |
* denotes new member.
