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Citizen science and EU regulations – a new approach

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Green Deal Projects Support Office

Citizen science can improve the delivery of EU Law. To do so requires a fundamental shift in how EU law is drafted and implemented. This policy brief from AURORA, COMPAIR, GreenSCENT, I-CHANGE, Iliad and SOCIO-BEE recommends a way forward in how the considerable investment in citizen science research can be harnessed for that purpose. 

Key findings

The following six projects are a sample of EU-funded research that illustrate the value of citizen science research to EU Directives. They include:

  • Pollution monitoring – COMPAIR & SOCIO-BEE
    - these two projects illustrate how citizen science can support the implementation of EU Directives tackling pollution at city and regional levels and contribute to tackling climate change and air quality issues. See the final event video. 
     

  • Climate change adaptation – I-CHANGE 
    - shows how citizen science is critical to support the EU Climate Action Plan to be climate-neutral by 2050 and to adapt to the in-built global warming pressures now affecting Europe.
     

  • Climate change mitigation – AURORA 
    - highlights how citizen science is critical to support the EU Climate Action Plan to be climate-neutral by 2050 and to adapt to the in-built global warming pressures now affecting Europe.
     

  • Digital twins of the ocean, adding citizen data - ILIAD 
    - serves as an example of how citizen science can support the blue economy, the EU’s Green Deal and Digital Strategy as well as the UN Ocean Decade’s outcomes and Sustainable Development Goals.

  • Competency framework for citizen engagement in the Green Deal – GREENSCENT 
    - outlines a competency framework that could be adopted to strengthen citizen science programmes across Europe to support the EU Green Deal.

These six EU-funded citizen science projects highlight the need for an EU Committee of Experts to recommend scaling successful initiatives to support the EU regulatory policy agenda. Currently, these projects are time-limited pilots that are too small for EU-wide legislative programmes but could be scaled up to complement traditional top-down approaches.

Citizen science can accelerate policy delivery, change community behavior, and provide cost-effective data collection. Engaging citizens, who are directly affected by issues like air pollution and climate change, is crucial for achieving legislative targets. A framework, similar to one established in the USA, is needed to facilitate national regulators in engaging citizens to support key EU Environmental Goals.

Policy recommendations

Citizen science and crowdsourcing projects engage the public in addressing societal needs and accelerating science, technology, and innovation. Such projects can have significant economic value and can support and accelerate regulatory policy and EU objectives.

To ensure these benefits are delivered, the European Commission with the support of the European Parliament and The Council of the European Union is recommended to:

  1. Set up a high-level EU Committee of Experts on Citizen Science (EU-CESC) to consider and recommend:

    1. Which EU Regulations would benefit from supporting citizen science programmes;

    2. Citizen science pilots suitable for scaling up to support Member States in the delivery of EU Environmental Directives such as AURORA for climate change mitigation, PSLifestyle for climate change adaptation, COMPAIR and SOCIO-BEE for pollution monitoring, and ILIAD for the blue economy;

    3. A supportive skills framework for the EU Directorates General (DG) policymakers, building on project GreenSCENT, to ensure that citizen science becomes part of the EU legislative approach; and

    4. An annual report on the value of citizen science to the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union.

  2. Ensure all Directorates – General (DGs):

    1. Identify a coordinator to promote citizen science in the work of the DG, catalogue key projects, build capacity and skills, share best practices and promote citizen science as a key part of the implementation strategy for future and existing EU legislation;

    2. Identify and amend existing EU legislation where it acts as a barrier to citizen science programmes; and

    3. Annually report to the high-level committee on the value of citizen science to the work of the DG.

Review existing and future international agreements such as MEAs and COPs to identify where the EU could champion citizen science as part of implementation strategies, such as that adopted for the Kunming Montreal Framework for Biodiversity. 

Download the policy brief below to find out more.

 

 

Learn more about the projects:

Knowledge and Citizens policy brief on citizen science

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