On 20 April 2012, the Applied Research and Communications Fund hosted a working meeting under the title “Parliamentary Technology Assessment: Perspectives for Development in Bulgaria”. The discussion was held within the Parliaments and Civil Society in Technology Assessment project (PACITA), supported under the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development.
The main idea of the event was to present in detail and through real-life examples the aims and added value of parliamentary technology assessment (PTA – a policy analysis tool, whose primary purpose is to enable policy makers, as well as society at large, to integrate the advancements of science and technology into public policy and legislative development while promoting the public interest), as well as to lead to a thorough discussion of the opportunities for development and implementation of TA in Bulgaria. Among the participants were representatives of the ministries, the academy, journalists, as well as representatives of the civil society and the industry.
Experienced parliamentary technology assessment professionals – Dr. Geert Munich from the Rathenau Institute in the Netherlands and Dr. Walter Peissl from the Institute for Technology Assessment in Austria were the keynote speakers during the event. They provided a thorough description of contemporary technology assessment methods in public policy design and development, and presented several examples of successful parliamentary technology assessment projects both on the EU and on the national level.
The discussion after the presentations outlined some of the major challenges for the successful institutionalization of TA in Bulgaria, such as the financial sustainability of a TA body, expert capacity building, and the existence of political will and support for TA in Bulgaria. Despite the serious difficulties in the process of development of a well functioning TA body in Bulgaria, the participants expressed their support to the idea and agreed on the need for such an organization in Bulgaria.
In the years to come, the Applied Research and Communications Fund will continue its efforts for promoting broader and informed public debate with as wide a range of stakeholders as possible, including the government, parliament, local authorities, civil society, experts, academia, analysts, and citizens. We believe that the broad public consensus and mutual trust between institutions is fundamental for the well functioning of the process of implementation of technology assessment as part of the planning of public policies.
To learn more about the project, or about parliamentary technology assessment, please visit the project’s website at www.pacitaproject.eu.
The presentations (in English) can be found here:
ICT and Privacy in Europe, (PDF, 0.2 MB)
PRISE – Privacy and Security Supporting activity outline, (PDF, 0.2 MB)
Technology Assessment at the German Parliament, (PDF, 0.3 MB)
Institute of Technology Assessment – Organisation and Vision (PDF, 0.4 MB)
