EuropaBio Board Meeting in Brussels

On 27 March, the first EuropaBio board meeting of 2014 took place in Brussels. Peter Heinrich, Chairman of the Board of BIO Deutschland, attended the meeting in his capacity of board member of EuropaBio. The board members made decisions on the budget for 2014, the admission of new members, and the new chair of the Agri-Food Council. In addition, the forthcoming board elections during the 2014 general assembly were flagged up, and the board members were asked to indicate during the coming weeks whether or not they intend to run for re-election. The board members also discussed the aims and activities for 2014, with a focus on preparation and measures before and after the European Parliament elections in May. As soon as the new Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and commissioners have been decided, EuropaBio will contact these individuals in order to inform them about its work and objectives. The aim is to acquire as many biotech advocates as possible in the European Commission. The board members also discussed the activities planned during the European Biotech Week 2014. The plan is for the national associations to be highly integrated in the organisation of the week.

In the run-up to the board meeting, the report “Biotechnology in Europe: The Tax, Finance and Regulatory Framework and Global Policy Comparison” by EuropaBio and EY was launched at an event that was also attended by members of the European Commission.