CNECV participates in the 36th NEC Forum in Cyprus with contributions from Maria do Céu Patrão Neves and Pedro Fevereiro
The Conselho Nacional de Ética para as Ciências da Vida (CNECV) took part in the 36th National Ethics Councils Forum (NEC Forum), held on 23 and 24 April in Nicosia, Cyprus, bringing together representatives from several European countries to discuss ethical challenges in a rapidly changing world.
Under the theme “Ethics and Values in a Rapidly Changing World”, the meeting, organised by the National Bioethics Committee of Cyprus and the European Commission, focused on areas such as environmental ethics, artificial intelligence, health crisis management, ageing, and international cooperation between ethics councils.
Read here "Statement Ethical Responsibility towards a Value-Based European Digital Sovereignty"
Councillor Pedro Fevereiro, in Session 2 dedicated to environmental ethics, presented the communication “Towards an Ethics of Water Management and Use”, showcasing the work developed by the Council in this field, namely the Report on the State of the Application of New Technologies to Human Life 2025 – Technologies for Improved Access, Recovery and Management of Water and the publication Towards an Ethics of Water Management and Use. The presentation highlighted the ethical challenges associated with the sustainable use of water resources in a context of increasing environmental and climate pressure.
The President of the CNECV, Maria do Céu Patrão Neves, spoke in the session “NECs good practices of international cooperation: New and old ethical challenges”, focused on best practices in international cooperation among ethics councils, with a presentation centred on the experience of drafting the Lusophone opinion on “Ethical management of the sharing of biological material and data”.
In her intervention, she noted that the first joint opinion in the European Union was produced between Portugal and Spain in 2011; that by 2026 the CNECV had already completed three international joint opinions; and that the Portuguese National Ethics Council had produced an opinion in collaboration with six other countries, across three continents, representing the widest scope to date among NECs.
The second day was dedicated, among other topics, to the ethics of artificial intelligence and new technologies, as well as the ethical challenges associated with ageing societies, reinforcing the role of national ethics councils. The participation of the CNECV in this European forum strengthens Portugal’s contribution to the international bioethics debate and highlights the Council’s active involvement in building ethical responses to global challenges in an increasingly complex scientific and technological context.
