CNECV Prepares Mediterranean Ethics Councils Meeting in Lisbon
Lisbon will host the Informal Meeting of Mediterranean Ethics Councils in December 2026, bringing together representatives of national ethics bodies from eleven countries across the Mediterranean region, as well as the European Commission, to discuss shared ethical challenges and strengthen cooperation among institutions.
Preparations for this meeting were the focus of an online working meeting held on 30 June between the National Council of Ethics for the Life Sciences (CNECV) and the Anna Lindh Foundation (ALF), represented by Alessandro Giovanni Lamonica, Public Policy Manager, and Dalia Abushady, Public Policy Researcher.
The meeting will bring together representatives of national ethics councils and ethics bodies from Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Morocco, Tunisia, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Jordan and Lebanon, providing a platform for cooperation and reflection on ethical challenges shared across the Mediterranean region. Representatives of the European Commission will also participate, further reinforcing the international dimension of the initiative.
The selection of Lisbon as the host city reflects recognition of the work carried out by the CNECV in promoting international cooperation in ethics and bioethics, as well as its contribution to strengthening networks of dialogue among institutions dedicated to ethical reflection. The Mediterranean Ethics Councils Meeting will build on the process initiated in 2025 and further developed through the Informal Working Group of Mediterranean Ethics Bodies (IWG-Med), a platform that brings together representatives of national ethics bodies from across the region to foster the exchange of experiences, identify common priorities, and develop joint positions on emerging ethical challenges.
The initiative will also include the first in-person meeting of the Informal Working Group of Mediterranean Ethics Bodies (IWG-Med), further reinforcing Portugal's role in promoting ethical dialogue throughout the Mediterranean region.
By hosting this international meeting in Lisbon, the CNECV further strengthens its role as a platform for dialogue among ethics institutions, contributing to the development of shared responses to the scientific, technological and societal challenges facing the Mediterranean region.
