Dear EGU Experts,

I hope that you’re all having a wonderful and relaxing summer! August’s Science for Policy Newsletter highlights several science for policy updates from the EGU and opportunities for you to jump back into science for policy after your summer break!

If you have any further questions or comments about the policy opportunities that exist for scientists in Europe, please don’t hesitate to get in touch via policy@egu.eu or on Twitter using @Chl0e_Hill.

Best wishes,
Chloe Hill, EGU Policy Manager

The EGU’s 2022 Science-Policy Pairing Scheme is now open for applications! The Pairing Scheme sponsors one EGU member to work alongside a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) inside the European Parliament in Brussels for a week! Not only is it a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the EU policymaking process and experience the daily work of an MEP and their team, but it gives the scientist an opportunity to provide useful expertise.

This year’s Pairing Scheme will be with Norbert Lins, an MEP representing Germany and the Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats). He is Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development and the Co-Chair of the Biodiversity Working Group of the European Parliament Intergroup on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development.

The application period for the EGU’s 2022 Science for Policy Pairing Scheme is now open! You can read more about the Pairing Scheme here and submit your application here until 12 September 2022.

On 22 June 2022, the European Commission presented its proposal for the EU Nature Restoration Law with the aim to recover biodiverse and resilient nature across the EU. Like all new legislation, the EU Nature Restoration Law was proposed by the European Commission and underwent numerous rounds of feedback from the public, stakeholders, and organisations via the European Commission’s Have your say platform.

The EGU Biodiversity Task Force participated in the final round of feedback for EU Nature Restoration Law before it was passed onto the European Parliament and The Council of the European Union. The Task Force welcomed the ambitious targets outlined in the Nature Restoration Law that was presented by the Commission but, to ensure the Nature Restoration Law is successful, the Task Force provided seven key recommendations they felt should be added, amended, or strengthened throughout the document. You can read more about the Nature Restoration Law and these recommendations here.

If you are considering a career change or would like to work in a policy environment for an extended period of time, a European Commission Blue Book Traineeship might be for you! Blue Book Traineeships are for a period of 5 months and are paid.

The activities undertaken by a Blue Book Trainee vary depending on the policy area and service (which you have the option to select when filling in the application form). Some examples of activities that you may undertake as a Blue Book Trainee include: attending and organise meetings, conducting research, drafting and editing policy documents, and answering inquiries. While the Commission doesn’t specifically target scientists in the application process, often those with specific expertise are welcome. The deadline to apply for a Blue Book Traineeship is 31 August at 12:00 midday, CEST. You can read more and apply here.

EGU’s Science for Policy Hangouts are an informal space for conversations about science for policy and related topics! It’s a great way to have your science-policy questions answered and network with those engaging in geoscience-relevant policy issues. The next Science for Policy Hangouts will be hosted directly after the summer, at 16:30 CEST on 1 September 2022, giving you the opportunity to jump straight back in! Register for the Hangout now.

If you are looking for inspiration or would like to learn a new competence or skill following the summer break, then July’s GeoPolicy Blog post is the one for you! Featuring the Competence Framework ‘Science for Policy’ for Researchers developed by the European Commission Joint Research Centre, it introduces the skills that scientists can collectively build to increase their policy impact. Throughout this post, Policy Analyst Lene Topp provides insights into key features and aspects of the Framework’s functionality that she was the lead author on. Read it here!