EUREC DECLARATION - Brussels, 27 January 2005

Creation of a European Network of Research Ethics Committees - EUREC

1. Representatives from national associations of RECs decided to work together in order to maintain and develop high quality standards in the protection of human subjects in Europe.
2. They committed themselves to create a network of national networks of RECs, called EUREC, open to national associations of RECs or to national RECs.
3. The purpose of the network is to facilitate exchanges of knowledge, know-how and information, to disseminate teaching material among members and to be the interlocutor of the European Commission for aspects regarding local implementation of directives.
4. Another purpose will be to conduct research on research (i.e. research on characteristics of biomedical research conducted on human beings), based on the activity of RECs, in order to facilitate understanding on what is ongoing and developed.
5. An interactive website (www.eurecnet.org) will be created to share information and materials.
6. To facilitate the achievement of the network's basic objectives, the founders will seek support via public funding from their individual national authorities as well as from the European Commission.

Under the auspices of: Povl Riis (Denmark), Carlos de Sola (Council of Europe) and Claude Huriet (France)

Signatories: François Chapuis (France), Elmar Doppelfeld and Michael Fuchs (Germany), Jozef Glasa (Slovak Republic), Ritva Halila (Finland), Finn Kamper-Jørgensen (Denmark), Dominique Sprumont and Hermann Amstad (Switzerland), Joze Trontelj (Slovenia), subsequently joined by Peter Rehak and Ernst Singer (Austria), Rena Vrahimi-Petridou (Cyprus) and Anneke Jensma (The Netherlands).