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What issues will become relevant for technology assessment over the next 3 years? That was the question asked by the Dutch presidency to the EPTA Directors’ meeting.

The Rathenau institute had a challenge ready for the different EPTA directors, as they gathered for their annual meeting in the Dutch parliament in The Hague 26-27 April 2008. What discussions should we prepare for in the coming years?

The different answers were the starting point for vivid discussions on a range of upcoming topics:

  • Can technology save us from the clash between generations?
  • Autonomous technology invades our lives
  • Converging technologies and crisis of the self
  • Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and climate change
  • Nuclear power and waste management
  • How to organise a public debate on nanotechnology?
  • What is the role of TA under a new depression?

Each participant had prepared a short introduction to the session, and the Rathenau Institute will produce a report based on the discusstions.

EPTA conference on the future of pTA
Director Jan Staman of the Rathenau institute presented the plans for the 2008 EPTA conference in the Dutch parliament 26-27 October. The title of the conference is “Inspiring Future Politics – How parliamentary technology assessors can best stimulate the political debat”. To address this question the conference will look for inspiration in- and outside the community of parliamentary TA practitioners. As such, speakers will include business leaders, scientists, TA practitioners and parliamentarians.

UK presidency of EPTA in 2009
The UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) has offered to hold the EPTA presidency for 2009. This presidency will be a part of the 20th anniversary of POST. POST plans to arrange the Directors’ meeting in Edinburgh and the EPTA Conference in the Houses of Parliament in London.

The candidacy was highly recommended by the Directors’ meeting.

Contact information:
Director: J. Staman
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