The recovery fund proposed by the Parliament in May has been well accepted by EU leaders who are calling it a “historic move for the EU”. However, MEPs have communicated their complaints concerning the massive cuts to the grant components and the future-oriented programmes, as their concern is that they will “undermine the foundations of a sustainable and resilient recovery”. MEPs are prepared to withhold their consent to the long-term budget unless the deal is improved.
Parliament’s priorities in view of an overall agreement, after the rule of law and own resources, should be the EU flagship programmes. The Parliament stresses that EU flagship programmes are now at risk of experiencing an immediate drop in funding from 2020 to 2021; furthermore, the EP points out that as of 2024, the EU budget as a whole will be below 2020 levels, jeopardising the EU’s commitments and priorities, notably the Green Deal and the Digital Agenda. In addition to that, EP insists that targeted increases on top of the figures proposed by the European Council must single out programmes relating to the climate protection, the digital transition, health, youth, research, border management and others (such as Horizon Europe, InvestEU, Erasmus+, the Just Transition Fund, Digital Europe, the Connecting Europe Facility, LIFE+, EU4health…).
On 31 July, the quarterly EuChemS newsletter CiE 2020-3 has been released. It includes an editorial from MEP Maria Spyraki, various policy and research updates, testimonies from Chemists across Europe about the adaptations to COVID-19 measures, and many other engaging topics.
You are kindly invited to scroll through the CiE 2020-3 here.
The European Award Committee for the EuChemS-EYCN Award (EYCAC) has selected finalists for the Early Career Researcher level and the PhD level, in recognition of the exceptional research in various fields of chemical sciences. Read the full list of the finalists here!
The winners will be selected on 26 August 2020, during an online event e-YCN@ECC (organised by the European Young Chemists’ Network – EYCN) where the finalists will present their research results. For both PhD level and the Early Career Researcher level, two awardees will be selected: one Gold Medal and one Silver Medal.
If you want to attend the e-YCN@ECC online event on 25-26 August 2020, and listen to the lectures of the EYCA finalists, as well as join many different workshops covering various topics from grant writing and career orientation to science communication, please register here!
Each year, EuChemS has an open call for a Historical Landmark Award, to recognise various sights of cultural heritage that are significant for the history of Chemistry. As some European countries already have a national landmark programme, two levels of EuChemS Historical Landmarks are foreseen: European (for major initiatives that have impact at the European level) and regional (for local initiatives significant for a particular region).
This year, the European level award goes to the Mines of Almaden in Spain, an exemplary historic mining site producing mercury, while the regional level award was given to Edessa Cannabis Factory Museum in Greece, which used to be a standard industrial unit, making ropes and twine from Indian hemp.
The call for 2020 EuChemS Historical Landmarks Award nominations will open in September, please follow this page for more information.
On 14 July, Initiative for Science in Europe (ISE) asked European leaders for an increase of the Horizon Europe budget in general and a specific allocation of additional 5Bn€ to Pillar I.
This statement is published following the cut of 5Bn€ of the Horizon Europe budget for 2021-2027, proposed by Charles Michel, President of the EU Council. This cut would be added to a budget that has already been reduced several times: the EU Commission proposed 94.1Bn€ in June 2018 and 85Bn€ were being discussed in May 2020.
The mentoring programme Open Education for a Better World (OE4BW) was held online from 29 June to 2 July 2020. This programme supports the development and implementation of open educational resources (OER). The projects of the OE4BW mentoring programme address topics in relation with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Mentees are enrolled worldwide for this purpose. In 2020, they benefited from the guidance of 84 mentors, who helped the mentees to find solutions and foster OER. The mentoring programme supported 82 projects.
Online workshops were held for 4 consecutive days, covering a wide range of topics, such as inclusive education, natural and applied science, art and society, as well as peace and justice.
On Tuesday 30 June, a special Workshop was held on Open Resources for SDG7. Experts shared their views on how to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy. The programme of this session was the following:
Advancing sustainable energy and climate actions through open online learning;
Statistical data supporting energy related education and decision-making;
Importance of sustainable ecosystem for open education;
Prosumers of the Energy Union;
How to license Open Educational Resources;
Energy sector skills needed for the 21st
This session was preceded by an introductory panel during which OE4BW chairs welcomed the speakers and the participants. Then, the experts panel session was followed by pitch presentations of projects, developed in the SDG7 hub of the OE4BW 2019/2020, and a discussion.
You can watch the webinars held during OE4BW here.
EuChemS is very active concerning the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) which were established in 2015. In 2017, “Future-Oriented Chemistry” side event was co-organised by EuChemS at the EU Pavilion of the United Nations Climate Change conference (COP23). In 2018, a workshop was organised on the topic of SDGs at the 7th EuChemS Chemistry Congress in Liverpool. Finally, in 2019, EuChemS, together with the American Chemical Society (ACS), signed the Joint Framework Agreement on the UN SDGs in Paris, France.
On 6 July 2020, the European Commission opened a roadmap on ‘the future of the European Research Area (communication)’: feedback and ideas can be submitted until 3 August. The aim of this initiative is to reboot the European Research Area (ERA) policy, in order to enhance research and innovation within the poorer region of the European Union, from September 2020 onwards.
ERA is a system of scientific research programmes. It enables free circulation of researchers, science, and technology by integrating the scientific resources of the European Union. The original ERA plan was launched in 2000, and the main goal (member states had to increase to 3% their GDP investment in Research and Development) was not reached.
The European Chemical Society, EuChemS, together with DFG, launched the “Solar-Driven Chemistry” white paper at the 6th EuChemS Chemistry Congress (ECC6) in September 2016. This initiative is built on ERA’s priorities to ‘optimal circulation, access to and transfer of scientific knowledge including knowledge circulation and open access’. Read more about it here.
The European Chemical Society attended the Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) online meeting of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in June which addressed several pressing issues. Significant topics were discussed, including microplastics restrictions.
On 10 June 2020, after 15 months of joint work together with Member State representatives, ECHA’s Committee on Risk Assessment (RAC) reached a final opinion on microplastics restriction and supports restricting the use of intentionally added microplastics in EU/EEA products, in concentrations of more than 0.01% by weight.
“microplastic” means particles containing solid polymer, to which additives or other substances may have been added, and where ≥ 1% w/w of particles have (i) all dimensions ≤ 5mm, or (ii), for fibers, a length of ≤ 15mm and length to diameter ratio of >3
Comments received through public consultations were considered, as well as a complex evaluation on the derogation of biodegradable polymers with an examination on biodegradability tests and the evaluation of applications, such as infill material on synthetic sports turf pitches).
Since the risk assessment of microplastic is complicated by current uncertainties in relation to hazards, fate, exposure and risks, further research will be needed to address all the identified uncertainties.
On 19 June, the European Parliament announced having set up special and inquiry committees and a permanent subcommittee. Among them, the new special committee on beating cancer will implement concrete actions in order to prevent and fight cancer. The tasks of this special committee will also be to identify legislation and other measures to deal with cancer, as well as finding solutions to support scientific research in this area. The creation of this Committee is a follow-up to the European Commission Public Consultation on ‘Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan’.
Furthermore, the European Parliament also implemented a special committee on artificial intelligence (AI). Its aim will be to study the impact and challenges of rolling out AI. It will also propose a roadmap with objectives to guide the European Union in AI and its related field.
These two special committees are composed of 33 MEPs each, and will both be set up for one year. The Chairs and Vice-chairs will be decided and announced in September 2020.
On 1 July 2020, Germany has officially taken over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from Croatia. The COVID-19 pandemic and its recovery plan are at the heart of the 6-months Presidency of Germany, as its motto indicates: ‘Together for Europe’s recovery.’ Hence, research and innovation are put at the forefront of the Germany’s strategic agenda.
In view of the current global health crisis, the German Presidency announced supporting European research and its scientific community by enhancing online platforms and open access.
European research and development play a key role in the prevention of and efforts to overcome healthcare crises. We are therefore committed to making the European Research Area even more dynamic and targeted in a spirit of solidarity with respect to tackling the pandemic. Moreover, we want to discuss how the EU ERAvsCorona Action Plan can be further developed.
– Programme for Germany’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, I. Europe’s response to COVID-19 pandemic, p.6.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic is at the heart of Germany’s strategy agenda, its representatives will not forget to tackle environmental issues by implementing sustainable solutions in Europe. The German Presidency would like to provide guidance for the EU Strategy on Sustainable and Smart Mobility. Moreover, Germany presented itself as a strong advocate of the European Green Deal. Germany indicated in its agenda its ambition to strengthen international cooperation in research and education areas to successfully implement the European Green Deal. On top of developing open online platforms, supporting green hydrogen initiatives, and further developing civic participation are part of Germany’s Green Deal action plan for Europe.
In the second semester of 2020, the German Presidency of the Council of the EU will also support the Commission’s Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and will work on digital application to cancer treatments, as well as on advancing cancer treatment and prevention.
On Friday, 3 July 2020, the European Chemical Society held its very first online webinar to celebrate 50 years since the foundation of the Federation of European Chemical Societies (FECS), which is today known as EuChemS.
The rich, diverse and entertaining programme included the premiere of the first EuChemS video, speeches from 17 live speakers, many photographs from the past years of EuChemS, an original international video with congratulations in different languages prepared by the EYCN – European Young Chemists’ Network. The fact that it was organised online did not stop the panellists from blowing out the candles together (from a virtual cake) and reading all the wonderful birthday cards that were sent from around the world.
In case you were not able to join us in person, don’t worry – the event was recorded and is available on the EuChemS YouTube channel and you can subscribe to stay up to date with the videos we will be posting!
On 5 June 2020, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) warned about the increasing commercialisation of non-compliant disinfectants during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a press release, ECHA indicates that twenty Member States of the European Union have reported to ECHA and the European Commission about the growing number of illegal and ineffective hand disinfectants available on national markets.
As a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand of disinfectants increased, and the presence non-compliant products as well (i.e. wrong formulation, no authorisations, lack of hazard labelling, etc.).
The European Commission has published a guidance on the applicable legislation for leave-on hand cleaners and disinfectants. You can read it here.
In March 2020, the European Chemical Society published an article on chemical disinfectants, and more specifically on how alcohol can make a high-level disinfectant.
If you are interested to learn more about it, the article is available here.
The ERCEA supports operationally the ERC Scientific Council. Based in Brussels, the ERCEA is also in charge of the day to day administration of the European Research Council (ERC). Among the many activities conducted by the ERCEA, it is also responsible for the peer review process.
The management team is appointed by the European Commission. It includes a Director and a Steering Committee:
the director, Waldemar Kütt, is in charge of the management and the staff of the agency, as well as for the implementation of the ERCs strategy and positions;
the Steering Committee is composed of 5 members and supervise the operations of the ERCEA. It is chaired by the European Commission’s Director-General for Research and Innovation, Jean-Eric Paquet, two Scientific Council members, and two Commission officials.
On 16 May 2020, Waldemar Kütt started a new mandate as Director of the European Research Council Executive Agency (ERCEA). Waldemar Kütt was acting director of ERCEA since August 2019, when he took over the position from Pablo Amor.
On 4 June 2020, the Industry Committee of the European Parliament (ITRE Committee) has voted to enter into interinstitutional negotiations for five multiannual financial framework files (MFF).
Together with the Council of the European Union and the European Commission, the ITRE Committee can start negotiations on Horizon Europe and other pieces of legislation where it is the lead committee.
As a reminder, the next seven-year framework programme for R&D of the European Commission will succeed Horizon 2020 in 2021. This vote represented the last step to be taken in order to reach an agreement on the legislative files before the launch of Horizon Europe.
In the meantime, the seven-year budget is still debated by the member states: no agreement has been reached yet. In a press release, the ITRE Committee highlighted the necessity to find an agreement as soon as possible to avoid any delays concerning the start of the programmes in January 2021.
On 1 January 2020, Croatia took over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from Finland. In January 2020, the European Chemical Society dedicated an article on Croatia’s strategic agenda (see our Brussels News Updates article here).
‘A strong Europe in a world of challenges’ was the motto chosen by Croatia before starting its Presidency, and what a challenge Covid-19 has been. The six-months agenda was disrupted by the pandemic and forced Croatia to adapt it to the worldwide crisis: the Council is currently analysing and assessing the Recovery plan for Europe proposal issued by the European Commission. What is more, this Presidency was the first for Croatia since the country joined the European Union in 2013.
The European Green Deal remained an important item on Croatia’s agenda. Among the many actions taken, the Council adopted the EU’s submission to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on the long-term low greenhouse gas emission development strategy.
In the meantime, the Council also worked on EU space policy matters. On 29 May, Ministers discussed solutions to enhance space-based technologies in order to include them in the sustainable development of the European Union. It was stressed that these space applications can offer solutions to the challenges on the on-going crisis and help the EU to reach its European Green Deal ambitious objectives. You can learn more about this meeting here.
More recently, Coreper* confirmed full agreement on the draft Council conclusions on shaping Europe’s digital future, during the online event held on 5 June 2020.
Croatia will lead the Council of the European Union until 30 June 2020. On 1 July, Germany will take over the position for the fall semester of 2020.
*Coreper stands for the ‘Committee of the Permanent Representatives of the Governments of the Member States to the European Union’.
Following the #EUvsVirus Hackathon, the European Commission organised the #EUvsVirus Matchathon on 22-25 May. The goal of the Matchathon was to connect the 120 winning teams from the hackathon with investors, corporates, public authorities (including hospitals), academia, and research institutions. During this event, the winning teams were able to discuss their needs and secure deals with partners, to have their innovative ideas developed and commercialised.
The closing ceremony was held online on 2 June 2020, with the presence of Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth.
‘We will look back with great pride at this moment. Two months ago, when Europe and the world were thrown into crisis, this was the moment we came together. When we launched #EUvsVirus, we had the bold idea to bring all Europe’s innovators together to crack the most complex challenges created by coronavirus. […] In just two weeks, we organised the biggest hackathon Europe has ever seen.”
Source: here.
You can read our Brussels News Update article on the #EUvsVirus Hackathon here.
#EUvsVirus Matchathon follow-up
The European Commission, via the European Innovation Council (EIC), offered the #EUvsVirus projects to join the EIC Covid-19 Challenge Platform, a collaborative space launched as a follow-up to the Matchathon. The goal of this platform is to extend the collaborations that started during the EUvsVirus Hackathon and Matchathon, but also to enhance new ones. Private and public partners can set up a COVID-19-related challenge and innovators, companies, researchers can forward their solutions.
The European Chemical Society would like to thank the European Young Chemists’ Network (EYCN) for their active participation during the #EUvsVirus Hackathon & Matchathon.
On 15 June 2020, the European Chemical Society endorsed the Statement on inclusion and diversity in the chemical sciences of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC).
To mark its 50th anniversary since the foundation of the Federation of European Chemical Societies (FECS) in 1970, the European Chemical Society is pleased to organise an online birthday celebration.
The event will be held online on Friday 3 July 2020, from 10:00 to 11:30 (CEST – Brussels time). You are invited to join us, please register here.
We are happy to receive your birthday wishes by posting #50yearseuchems hashtag on your favourite social media channel.
EuChemS 50th anniversary poster anniversary celebration poster is available for download here.
As the European Parliament is working on a strategy for the post-COVID-19 crisis period, MEPs asked to put the Green Deal at the centre of any reconstruction package.
Their proposal is based on conclusions drawn from strict quarantine measures taken everywhere in Europe. Indeed, air pollution has declined due to reduced economic activities (decline in travel, home working, shutdown of industry, etc.). Also, this request by the MEPs goes hand in hand with the EU Climate Law, which aims to make the EU climate neutral by 2050.
Chemistry in Europe 2020-2 includes many interesting articles, among other the Editorial by W. Koch, EuChemS Executive Board member on the Chemistry Europe, an interview with Dr Wolfgang Fritsche, one of the founders of FECS (Federation of European Chemical Societies), a predecessor organisation of EuChemS, a look into the European Parliamentary Committees (ITRE and ENVI Committees), a report from the 15th EYCN Delegate Assembly and many more.
On 20 April 2020, the European Commission, together with EU Members States and research partners, launched a COVID-19 Data Platform. The platform is part of the ERAvsCorona Action Plan and aims to accelerate Coronavirus research by facilitating data sharing and analysis. This joint effort underlines the European Commission’s commitment to Open Science, by making science more accessible and efficient in order to tackle societal challenges.
The platform includes SARS-CoV-2 Data Hubs, which organise the flow of SARS-CoV-2 outbreak datasets and provide comprehensive open data sharing for research communities, as well as the COVID-19 Data portal, which brings together relevant COVID-19 datasets and tools, and facilitates access to other COVID-19 resources.
You can read the European Commission Press release here.
On 4 May 2020, the European Commission announced in a press release the reprioritisation of the Horizon 2020 framework programme funding. To help reach the objectives of the Coronavirus Global Response, €1 billion will be invested to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. It will fund global research on vaccines:
€400 million for developing scientific solutions and health systems
€400 million to finance Research and Developments investments
€150 million for the European Innovation Council’s Accelerator
If you are interested in funding opportunities in relation to Coronavirus, both at the European Union level and the national level, the European Research and Area and Corona Platform offers up-to-date information about Horizon 2020 calls and deadline extensions related to COVID-19 funded and ongoing projects.
As reported by the EuChemS representative in the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), the Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) of ECHA met in May to address several pressing issues.
During the online meeting, RAC adopted the opinion concerning the limitation of skin sensitizing substances in finished articles made of fabric, leather, hide and fur, placed on the market for the first time. Also, the harmonised classifications of some insecticides used in agriculture have been evaluated, as well as the proposal to classify this insecticide as Carcinogenic.
On 24 – 26 April 2020, the European Commission organised an online pan-European Hackathon under the patronage of Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth. In total, 21,000 participants from across Europe met virtually to find solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic and its related-challenges.
Six categories of COVID-19 related issues were addressed during this 62-hour contest: health and life, business continuity, remote working and education, social and political cohesion, digital finance and ‘other’ – an open category for other challenges.
The participants had the opportunity to meet online with civil societies, universities, businesses and others to tackle these challenges. Overall, 2160 proposals were submitted and 117 of them were announced as winners during the Award Ceremony, livestreamed on 30 April. Results are available here.
The European Chemical Society is pleased to have taken part in the #EUvsVirus Hackathon and wants to thank the European Young Chemists’ Network (EYCN) for their initiative, active participation and inputs during this event. The European Chemical Society registered as a civil society and a partner to assist the teams and answer their chemistry-related questions. We will remain available in the future for all the participants wishing to connect with us.
Although the #EUvsVirus Hackathon has officially ended, the financing and resource needs of the winning teams to develop and scale their ideas, are currently being collated. From 22 – 25 May 2020, a Machathon event will be organised to match the needs with the available resources. Furthermore, an EIC-COVID Platform will be launched at the end of May. The aim of this European platform will be to connect the winning teams of the #EUvsVirus Hackathon – as well as partners proposing innovative solutions – with those in need of these solutions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among them are hospitals, public authorities, etc.
The European Chemical Society, together with the EYCN, will remain active for the next step and cover the Machathon on socials. Stay tuned and follow us not to miss out on any information!
The European Chemical Society congratulates the member of EuChemS Executive Board and Chair of Division of Chemistry and Environment, Professor Ioannis Katsoyiannis, for being appointed by the Greek Minister of Growth and Investments as President of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Industrial Property Academy (H.I.P.A.).
We wish Ioannis best of success in his new duties.
Each year, EuChemS has an open call for a 
On Tuesday 30 June, a special Workshop was held on Open Resources for 
The European Chemical Society attended the Committee for Risk Assessment (
In the second semester of 2020, the German Presidency of the Council of the EU will also support the Commission’s 
On 4 June 2020, the Industry Committee of the European Parliament (
On 1 January 2020, Croatia took over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from Finland. In January 2020, the European Chemical Society dedicated an article on Croatia’s strategic agenda (see our Brussels News Updates article 
– Mariya Gabriel,
We are happy to receive your birthday wishes by posting #50yearseuchems hashtag on your favourite social media channel.
The European Chemical Society congratulates the member of
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