At their latest meeting, the Members of the Scientific Committee of the European Environment Agency selected Prof. Claire Dupont, University of Ghent, Belgium, as the new Committee Chair, and Profs. Theodoros Zachariadis, The Cyprus Institute, and Louis Meuleman, University of Leuven, Belgium, as the new Vice Chairs. This is an important distinction for Prof. Zachariadis, The Cyprus Institute, and Cyprus on an international level.

The European Environment Agency (EEA), based in Copenhagen, is an agency of the European Union with the task to provide sound, independent information on the environment. It is the prime source of environmental knowledge at European level and plays a leading role in supporting the long-term transition to a sustainable society. The EEA has 32 member countries and six cooperating countries. Its main clients are the European Union institutions – the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Council – and its member countries.

The Agency’s Scientific Committee, aiming to serve as the bridge between science and environmental policy, is composed of 15 to 20 independent scientists, identified through an open selection process. Its major tasks are to deliver opinions on the EEA work-programme and recruitment, and to provide advice and/or opinion on any scientific matter concerning the Agency’s activity as requested by the Management Board or the Executive Director.

This development coincides with the appointment of Prof. Zachariadis by the Board of Trustees of The Cyprus Institute as Interim Director of the newly established “Science and Technology Driven Policy and Innovation Research Centre” (STeDI). This fifth Research Centre of the Institute has a cross-disciplinary scope and aims at connecting scientific and technological research and innovation with policymaking for sustainable development.

Source:  The Cyprus Institute I News (https://bit.ly/3XBoRMC)