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EPTA Annual Conference 1997
The Impact of Parliamentary Technology Assessment

September 25 in Copenhagen, Denmark, 9.30-16.00
Eigtveds Pakhus, Asiatisk Plads 2 G, 1448 Copenhagen

Introduction

There is a growing attention in Europe to technology assessment (TA) as a tool to keep parliamentarians informed and to encourage public debate on the challenges of scientific and technical progress. In 1996 the Council of Europe recommended, that all member states set up TA-bodies. This year the parliaments of Finland, Italy and Greece have decided to take the step and are now consequently applying for membership in the European Parliamentary Technology Assessment Network (EPTA). It seems therefore appropriate to devote this year's Annual Conference to the following question: What makes parliamentary technology assessment successful?

The speakers at the conference will address the following issues:

The Impact of Parliamentary Technology Assessment

  • What are the aims and objectives
  • Ways of measuring output - quality/quantity
  • Cases of success - with respect to parliament, media and others
  • Examples of failed projects
  • Lessons learnt to improve efficiency in parliamentary TA

Final Program

The Impact of Parliamentary Technology Assessment

September 25 in Copenhagen, Denmark, 9.30-16.00
Eigtveds Pakhus, Asiatisk Plads 2 G, 1448 Copenhagen

9.00 Registration and coffee
9.30 Opening of the conference by Rector, Mr. Henrik Toft Jensen, chairman of the Danish Board of Technology
9.40 Honorary Speaker: Ms. Jytte Hilden, Danish Minister of Research and Information Technology
10.00 Director, Mr. Michael Norton, Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST), Great Britain. Mr. Norton reviews the aims and objectives of POST, and how they are applied in the UK parlia-mentary context including case-stories.
10.30 Director, Ms. Josée van Eijndhoven, The Rathenau Institute, Holland: Technology Assessment in the Netherlands: Between analysis and support of societal debate. The present mission of the Rathenau Institute is to contribute to societal debate and political opinion-forming. Formerly the emphasis was more on analysis. Consequences of this shift will be discussed: conduction of projects and criteria to measure quality and success.
11.00 Coffee Break
11.25 Director, Mr. Dick Holdsworth, Scientific and Technological Options Assessment, (STOA), European Parliament: 'The objec-tive of quality: a means of promoting the impact of parliamentary technology assessment at European level'.
11.55 MP, Mr. Claude Birraux, Office Parlamentaire d'Evaluation des Choix Scientifique et Technologiques (OPECST), France. Evolution of the parliamentary TA concept in France; continous adjust-ment of methods and means. The advantages of MP's directly conducting TA-projects.
12.25 Lunch Break
13.40 Director, Mr. Herbert Paschen, Bureau for Technology Assessment of the German Bundestag (TAB), Germany. Major points to be dealt with are the following: Experience with the organisational model; adaptation of work procedures; using the results af TAB's works - positive and negative examples; possibilities for improving the usefulness af TAB.
14.10 Director, Mr. Lars Klüver, The Danish Board of Technology, Denmark. Parliamentary TA and the choice of methodology, the neverending story of picking the right tool for a particular task.
14.40 Coffee Break
15.05 General discussion
16.00 End of conference


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